The Bank View Cafe in Yorkshire s painted in with red polka dots, the colours king of the mountians jersey as part of the route on stage 2 of the Tour de France. PA Wire/Press Association Images
Le Tour
Indurain expecting close Tour de France battle
The three-week race gets going in Yorkshire next weekend.
TOUR DE FRANCE icon Miguel Indurain expects a close fight between Chris Froome and Alberto Contador when the race begins next weekend.
Reigning champion Froome was named as Team Sky’s leading rider last week and the five-time former winner believes he can retain his title, but warned of the threat from his Tinkoff-Saxo rival.
Indurain knows all about defending the yellow jersey having won five consecutive Tours between 1991 and 1995, and he sees a lot of qualities in Froome that would enable him to triumph again.
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In Contador he faces a rival looking for his third title, and first since 2009, and the Spaniard has started the season well, unlike Froome who has struggled with illness and injury. Both men may have experience of crossing the finishing line in Paris as champion after 21 gruelling stages, but Indurain insists the feat never gets easier.
“Repeating a victory in the Tour doesn’t get any easier just because you’ve done it once,” he told The Independent. ”Certain complicating factors disappear, but they get replaced by other ones.
“Ok, so you know you’ve got the physical ability to win the Tour. And you’ve got more experienced as a racer, too. But what gets a lot tougher from one year to the next is the increasing pressure from the outside world to win all over again.
“It’s going to be a good fight. He (Contador) has been much more consistent this year, more focused.
Marco Pantani with Indurain in 1995. AP / Press Association Images
AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
“Both are in great shape. But let’s not forget the other rivals; if Contador and Froome get too obsessed with beating each other, another rider could surprise both of them.”
Froome will also be wary of the threat posed by Astana’s Vincenzo Nibali, Tejay van Garderen of BMC Racing and Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde in the race for the general classification title.
Indurain expecting close Tour de France battle
TOUR DE FRANCE icon Miguel Indurain expects a close fight between Chris Froome and Alberto Contador when the race begins next weekend.
Reigning champion Froome was named as Team Sky’s leading rider last week and the five-time former winner believes he can retain his title, but warned of the threat from his Tinkoff-Saxo rival.
Indurain knows all about defending the yellow jersey having won five consecutive Tours between 1991 and 1995, and he sees a lot of qualities in Froome that would enable him to triumph again.
In Contador he faces a rival looking for his third title, and first since 2009, and the Spaniard has started the season well, unlike Froome who has struggled with illness and injury. Both men may have experience of crossing the finishing line in Paris as champion after 21 gruelling stages, but Indurain insists the feat never gets easier.
“Repeating a victory in the Tour doesn’t get any easier just because you’ve done it once,” he told The Independent. ”Certain complicating factors disappear, but they get replaced by other ones.
“Ok, so you know you’ve got the physical ability to win the Tour. And you’ve got more experienced as a racer, too. But what gets a lot tougher from one year to the next is the increasing pressure from the outside world to win all over again.
“It’s going to be a good fight. He (Contador) has been much more consistent this year, more focused.
“Both are in great shape. But let’s not forget the other rivals; if Contador and Froome get too obsessed with beating each other, another rider could surprise both of them.”
Froome will also be wary of the threat posed by Astana’s Vincenzo Nibali, Tejay van Garderen of BMC Racing and Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde in the race for the general classification title.
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Alberto Contador Christopher Froome Cycling Le Tour Tour de France