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Vuelta director doubts Contador will target grand tour triple

published 16 June 2011

Spaniard unlikely to take part in home stage race

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Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank Sungard) atop the Col du Galibier (Image credit: AFP Photo)

Javier Guillén, director of the Vuelta a España, has told Spanish news agency EFE that there is little chance of Alberto Contador riding his race after the Spaniard confirmed he will ride the Tour de France.

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"I think it will be difficult to have Contador at the Vuelta, but the decision is up to him," said Guillén. "Logic dictates that after a Giro and a Tour, it is very complicated to also do the Vuelta. That being said, if there is somebody who can do it, it's Alberto Contador."

The race director was happy to confirm several big names for the Vuelta, that starts in Benidorm on August 20. Cadel Evans, Mark Cavendish, Carlos Sastre, Denis Menchov, Mikel Nieve, Igor Antón, Oscar Freire and Robert Gesink have all been announced as riding.

Guillén also commented the postponement of Contador's hearing in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sports, saying he felt "preoccupation and disgust" with regard to a case that should have been resolved much earlier.

"It's not good that the matter is still ongoing as it causes tremendous harm to cycling because of the uncertainty it creates. We can't wait for a whole year, during which there has been a Tour, Giro and Vuelta," he stated.

Contador tested positive during the 2010 Tour de France for the banned steroid Clenbuterol. He has always calimed the minute traces of the drug were caused by contaminated meat. He was cleared by the Spanish Cycling Federation but the verdict has been appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Cycling Union (UCI).