TWO-TIME TOUR de France winner Alberto Contador announced today that he will bring his career to an end next month after racing in the Vuelta a Espana on home soil.
“I would like to inform you about two things. One is that I will participate in the next Vuelta a Espana from 19 August and the second is that it will be my last race as a professional cyclist,” Contador, 34, said in a video posted on his Instagram account.
Contador is one of the most decorated cyclists of all-time with seven Grand Tour victories in total to his name and is one of only six riders to win all three of the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana.
“It’s a decision that I have thought through and I don’t think there is a better farewell than in the home race and in my country,” Contador added.
“I’m sure they will be three wonderful weeks, enjoying all your affection, and I can’t wait to get started.”
However, Contador’s career was also overshadowed by a positive test for the banned substance Clenbuterol, which saw him banned for two years in 2012 and stripped of victory in the 2010 Tour de France and 2011 Giro d’Italia.
He claimed his failed test had come about from eating contaminated meat.
Having initially announced his intention to retire at the end of 2016, his impressive form last season encouraged Contador to continue for 2017 as he switched teams to Trek-Segafredo.
However, he endured a disappointing Tour de France in July as he finished in ninth place and nearly nine minutes off Chris Froome.
Froome will also be the man to beat in the Vuelta if Contador is to have a glorious goodbye from the sport as the British star headlines a strong field also featuring Fabio Aru, Vincenzo Nibali and Romain Bardet.
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Another fella who wasted his talent. Similarly to anthony stokes. Also stephen ireland, those 3 should have backboned the irish team for the last 10 years.
@Gareth Ward: not sure on Stokes i think he might have been found out early in his career that he was below average but the other 2 ya
@Wheresmyjumper: Maybe ya, but he had the talent as a young lad and just didn’t work hard enough at it! The other 2 though, imagine if they were our midfield partnership for the last 12 years!
@Gareth Ward:
We achieved more with wheels in midfield than we ever could of with Gibson or Ireland, Glenn is a pro who wanted to play . Gibson never gave it his all to any team he played for. How Stephen Ireland was treated by both Man City and the FAI is a totally different story . Stephen Ireland could of achieved a lot more in the game and I’ve a lot of sympathy for him and his story . Gibson however I wouldn’t trust him to hand out the jerseys and has never looked like a player who cared about anything except for a gargle.
@Shane Lad: Ya Whelan has been grand like when we’ve had no one else. But what im saying is if Gibson had delivered on his potential he would have been so much better than Whelan
@Gareth Ward:”grand when we had no one else” that’s harsh, whelan a fantastic pro put a few them boys to shame, it’s not as if we never had any other options in midfeild either and we had throw poor Glenn there he was there on merit.
@Gareth Ward: Harsh on Warren. He’s only 21.
@Wheresmyjumper: He wasn’t found out, he was fond of the drink which most young Irish players were back then.
A tented lad on his day but wasted his career I’m afraid
We achieved more with wheels in midfield over the last few years than we ever would of with Ireland or Gibson. Glenn is a pro who wants to play . I’ve a lot of sympathy for Stephen Ireland and his story. The way he was treated by city and the FAI was disgusting and he could of achieved a lot more in the game . As for Gibson, he’s never given his all to any team he’s been in because he doesn’t care.
@Shane Lad: I would say taking everything Stephen Ireland says as gospel truth is very dangerous. There’s a reason his career went the way it did after packing in Ireland and then City- perceived “disgusting” treatment with both can’t have applied.
@Shane Lad: “The way he was treated by city and the FAI was disgusting ”
Yes because what happened with Stephen Ireland was everyone elses fault but him, pull the other one Shane.