Alberto Contador, the only Spanish cyclist to win three grand tours, is optimistic about the current and future level of Spanish cycling, he assured that Tadej Pogacar “he will not ride the Tour” because of the presence of Jonas Vingegaard and excited about the team’s new sponsorship Polti Visit Malta directed by his sister Fran, in an event held at Tourism Fair (FITUR).
Regarding the future he sees in Spanish cycling, Contador offered an optimistic view, at an event held in International Tourism Fair (FITUR) which started this Wednesday in Madrid. “It’s hard to say that there will be a rider who will stay fighting for many years to win the general classification of the grand tours, or even win. Now there are two guys, Pogacar and Vingegaard who are more than others, but it is also true that they should not be eternal,” he told EFE.
“We see some young runners that are exciting for us, with them Carlos Rodríguez and Juan Ayuso. I think they have significant room for improvement, but then there are riders that stand out, like Pablo Torres and others who I believe can do great things. We will have to see how they evolve, but I am optimistic,” he stressed.
“I pay a lot of attention to the French peloton and maybe more to the Italian peloton, and I think at the moment in Spain we can’t complain. We are always in the grand tour, fighting for the top ten, or even for the podium, because (Mikel) Landa and (Enric) More They still let us be the stars,” he explained.
About Taught by Carlos Rodríguez and Juan Ayuso: “They continue to mature and I think we are not bad. We came from a special era, in 2008 we won the 3 grand tours and the Olympics. That was crazy, and also with 3 different riders.”
Regarding the possibility of the Slovenian Tadej Pogacar extending the absolute dominance of 2024 to 2025, Contador pointed out that the Dane Jonas Vingegaard could change the trend, at least in the Tour.
“Vingegaard is very professional. He won 2 Tour de France and in another 2 he was second, last year came after overcoming a serious fall. It is true that he finished 6 minutes away, but I think it’s a good reference for Now he will have a huge motivation to try to put Pogacar in trouble,” he said.
Contador pointed out that “although Pogacar’s UAE is now stronger than Vingegaard’s Visma, the season will not be a walk in the park for Pogacar because the Dane will make it difficult for him,” he concluded.
New sponsorship, security and World Tour dreams
“For us it is a major sponsorship for the team to be viable, as well as reliable support, that’s why it became the main name, Polti Visit Malta. We provide security and peace of mind to be able to continue the project firmly. .We live in a world where sponsorships are complicated for any team, whether it’s World Tour or not.
Contador emphasized that the arrival of the new sponsor was “a source of pride” and that “they are very happy to wear that jersey.”
For the only Spanish cyclist to win 3 grand tours in stages, this new support could be the starting point for the team to aim to move up the category.
“This support and this continuity allowed us to put together an interesting project for the team and the sponsor. Why don’t we think about the possibility of jumping into the World Tour category?”
From a sporting perspective, Contador believes that the great goal of the team led by his brother Fran Contador, is the Giro d’Italia. “Above all is the Giro d’Italia. The official invitations have not been issued yet, but we are optimistic about being in the Giro. We hope that it will be so and that we will shine there. We have already achieved two stages, and important ones, like in Zoncolan and Campo Imperatore, and I think we have riders who can do it well,” concluded the former Pinto cyclist.
Source: La Verdad
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