Astana Cycling Team

Alberto Contador in Paris-Nice

“To continue on race is assured”
Alberto Contador managed to finish today an especially difficult because he had to overcome the consequences of yesterday’s crash, which left him quite touched his left leg. After the 200 miles between Contres and Limoges, the balance is positive, because the danger of being lost is gone. “To continue in the race is assured”, confirmed Alberto from the Astana hotel.

“The day has been more or less as expected”, said Contador. “I knew it would be a difficult day in which he was not going to pedal either by the blow, but as I’ve been heating up ever better pedal”.
Still, however, does not feel at ease. “I could not bring my natural pedaling”, he said, “but I could save a long day and now I have to work with the ‘masseur’ to see if in two or three days I can be perfect”.
Alberto said he has already passed the risk of abandonment. “I think so, I not go home, because today was the most important test. I’ve also been able to finish and I could be ahead, so that I’ll continue on the race is assured”.
Contador takes this race as a training for the Tour, because of its hardness. “We are doing very high speed average and there is great tension throughout the entire stage. We must be alert at all times, so it’s like a training session ahead of July’s Tour”.
Finally, Alberto said that, until now, “the rider who I think is the strongest is Jens Voigt. While many are going well, he is on who I paid more attention”, he said.
(Automatic translation. Forgive inaccuracies)

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Jacinto Vidarte
Jefe de Prensa / Press Officer

Alberto Contador in Paris-Nice:

“What worries me is the hit in the leg”

The second stage of Paris-Nice was a tough test for Alberto Contador, who suffered a fall in the last 3 km in which he got a big hit in the left thigh. “What worries me is the hit in the leg. It’s very touched and that I’m still hot. I hope to continue in the race tomorrow”, he said shortly after crossing the finish line.
“It was just tenths of a second”, said Contador. “I was on the left riding relatively normally when someone was hooked and pull me to the left. I’ve completely broken the front wheel and I’ve given a good hit”.
Quickly Stangeld gave Alberto his bike and tried to get the bunch. The fall came very near to the last 3 km and at the finish, the judges said that the fall had already happen into the the distance, so that while Contador was able to catch on their own, anyway he was given the time group, which came 17 seconds behind the winner.
Contador complained about the heavy blow. “The problem is the blow to the muscle, which is what may affect my performance but I hope to start tomorrow”. About de gap, he said it was “a pity to stay behind, especially for my team, because all day we’ve been in the front and we have been very attentive the whole day”.
Alberto Contador now expected to “analyze the situation in the overall, but the truth is I do not care about those 17 seconds that has caught the front group, but the consequences of the fall. It would have been better not to lost time, but more important is to see how I recover”.



(Automatic translation. Forgive inaccuracies).

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Jacinto Vidarte
Jefe de Prensa / Press Officer

Alberto Contador finished the opening time trial of Paris-Nice six seconds off  stage winner Lars Boom and tied with Levi Leipheimer. “It’s true that winning wasn’t possible, but that’s not what’s most important, because I’m very happy with my performance,” he said.

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“Hitting tempo at the outset cost me a little and it had an impact on this time trial, but later I was pretty comfortable. I didn’t manage to win, but that’s even better considering the team, because we have less responsibility,” said Contador. “There are other riders who are very strong, but I also got some important time on people like Chavanel, Schleck and Valverde.”

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The time trial had a section of cobblestones at the beginning, but for Contador it wasn’t significant. “It’s always different than if it was a smooth road, but it didn’t have much effect on the race, because it was a short section. Besides,” he concluded, “I felt pretty comfortable on it.”

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(Official press release, Alberto Contador press office)

Contador 8-3-10

Here is the list of riders to be present for the race Tirreno-Adriatico:

• Assan BAZAYEV (KAZ)

• Allan DAVIS (AUS)
• Valeriy DMITRIYEV (KAZ)
• Enrico GASPAROTTO (ITA)
• Maxim IGLINSKIY (KAZ)
• Mirko SELVAGGI (ITA)
• Alexandre VINOKOUROV (KAZ)
• Andrey ZEITS (KAZ)

Press-conference of Alexandre Vinokourov:

Date: Tuesday 9th March 2010 at 5.00pm
Place: MY ONE GALILEI
Via Darsena 1
PISA

Astana Cycling Team
Communication Department

Photo ContadorInfo

Alberto Contador will take the start tomorrow in the opening time trial of Paris-Nice, covering a route that he reconned today on his new bicycle. On the new Shiv, modified according to UCI regulations, he hopes to produce a far better performance than in the Algarve, where he was forced to compete with an obsolete model and without time for training. Today, in a press conference, he offered his latest impressions.

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After winning in 2007 and having shown that you were able to win in 2009, what does Paris-Nice mean to you?

It’s a race that I really like and which is held at a period of the year when I’m usually in good form. Besides, it’s a little rehearsal for the Tour de France, with very tense stages, similar routes—above all in the flat stages—and with an extremely high level. Of the first races of the season, it’s probably the most important.

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What lessons have you learned from last year’s bonk?

That was a very important stage and you learn a lot of things from days like that, because really, when things don’t go well is when you can extract some lessons.  There were many factors on that day, but the things I derived from it were good, like how you have to be more stoic in the race, to think about the other candidates for the general and prioritize who the more dangerous ones are, besides, obviously, you can never forget to eat and drink, and even though all riders know that, there’s always some day that you forget.

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How’s the route of this time trial and what do you expect from the new bike?

It’s a tough route and, even though it’s only 8 kilometers, it’s possible to take more time on other riders than you might expect. About the bike, there’s a big difference. This is the Shiv, the one I’ve gotten used to in training, and it’s totally different from the one at the Algarve. I hope to give it a good premiere tomorrow. Read the rest of this entry →

Bruyneel: “What Vinokourov and Kascheskin messed with isn’t my mistake and except for those two there’s nobody in Kazakhstan. Yes, three domestiques, including two (Iglinskiy & Bazza) I’m not trusting and a bunch of young guys who aren’t ready for the Tour de France. I’m being judged on the results and the international image of the team, not on the image of the team in a godforsaken country such as Kazakhstan.”

Photo: © Roberto Bettini

We guess it’s a good answer, Mr Bruyneel!

Photo - ContadorInfo

Contador: “I’m arriving in good form”

Alberto Contador will begin his second race of the season on Sunday at Paris-Nice, a competition that, since his victory in 2007, has always had a special significance for him. The occasion also marks his first return to French roads since winning the Tour, which has been another source of motivation for reaching the start line in good physical condition. “I’m arriving in a good state of form,” says the leader of Astana, “although I’ve only done a little more work since the Volta ao Algarve.”

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How’s your current condition?

I’ve had a cold, I think as a consequence of the rain we had to put up with in Portugal, but in spite of everything, I think that I’m in good form.

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What have you been doing since your victory in the Algarve? What has changed since then?

I’ve rested a little more than planned, because it was a tough tour, also because I had the cold. Since then I’ve done some training with the idea of brushing up on the work I did during the winter, but I don’t know if I’m better or worse than I was in Portugal, because things were already going really well there.

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In Paris-Nice 2009 you suffered a spectacular bonk, do you have a desire for revenge or is that just an entertaining story from the past?
No, I don’t desire revenge. That was a pretty valuable experience that served to let me know that you can’t be careless about anything and that you have to take a stoic view of the race. It cost me the victory in 2009, yes, but an important experience came with it. Read the rest of this entry →

Here’s Team Astana’s roster for Paris-Nice (March 7-14):

• Alberto CONTADOR (SPA)
• Dimitri FOFONOV (KAZ)
• Maxim GOUROV (KAZ)
• Daniel NAVARRO (SPA)
• Benjamin NOVAL (SPA)
• Gorazd STANGELJ (SLO)
• Oscar PEREIRO (SPA)
• Andriy GRIVKO (UKR)

Astana Cycling Team
Communication Department