Alberto Contador hasn’t been deterred from trying the Giro-Tour double, despite failing to do it this year.
The Spaniard has come out saying he can do the double, provided he has a stronger team around him. Contador was involved in a flurry of crashes, during the tour, but also looked tired from his victory in the Giro. He went on to say that if there were enough stages that suited him, it would be possible, but that the team-time trial wasn’t a strong point.
El Pistolero said if next year’s tour had a mountain time-trial or possible to flatter time-trials, he could win both in the same year. Contador won the Giro d’Italia by a whopping 6 minute gap, to Michele Scarponi, but finished almost four minutes down on Cadel Evans.
Only seven riders have won the Giro –Tour double, including Fausto Coppi, Eddy Merckx and Stephan Roche. The last person to complete the feat was Marco Pantani, in 1998, and Miguel Indurain, five years before him. The bikes are getting lighter and the cyclists are getting fitter, but achieving the double is still just as difficult as it was before.
It is possible for Contador to do the double, but he will need the perfect circumstances to fall in to place. He will need his Saxo-Bank team to do some serious recruiting over the summer, with so many of his team unable to stay with him in the mountains. His team could only manage 8th in the team time-trial and lost 28 seconds on the winners, Garmin-Cervelo. His closest teammate in the individual was Richie Porte, who finished 24 seconds down on him, but after the Australian there was clear air, where Nicki Sorensen finished almost three minutes down on Contador.
Contador is still only one of three cyclists to do the Giro-Vuelta double, with Merckx and Giovanni Battaglin on the list. It may seem like a surprise, but the Giro and Vuelta used to be much closer together, on the calendar, making it very difficult to win both. Only Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault have won the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana in the same year, so that is another record the Spaniard can look for.
He won’t be making any records this year, however, after he announced he won’t take part in the Vuelta or the World Championships.
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