Astana Cycling Team

Photo by Jacinto Vidarte

Alberto Contador continued for a second day as leader of the Critérium du Dauphiné and therefore will start tomorrow the time trial in the last position, allowing him to have the references of all rivals. However, Alberto continues to maintain the same goals as the first day: use this race to make his last test in competition, without disputing the overall. “That I have the yellow jersey now means nothing, because this race has only just begun”, he said.

Alberto crossed the finish line, where was imposed Juan Jose Ahedo in the sprint, with a good feeling, after a day a little easier than yesterday. “It's been another day and I am the leader”, he said, “but we do not work for it. It has been a very fast stage, with some rain at first but everything has gone well. There was some tension because we don’t know from where come the wind and finally, in the sprint, the wind was facing, which has caused many riders have been on the fight with some danger of falling”, he said explaining that preferred to be placed further back in the bunch during the last kilometers.

“Time trial will be tomorrow”, he joked, “a less stressful day, I will go alone, but is also a difficult day because I've trained no so much with the new bike and will be a full hour effort”. His idea, as already announced, is “doing a test, but I know that with my current shape and with a little used bike, I can not draw conclusions too accurate”.

Among the favorites to win he believed they are “the same who were ahead in the prologue. This course is veruy good for Brajkovic and perhaps to others who were not on first positions on the first day, but I do not see a man above others”.

Contador will ride tomorrow the longest time trial of the season and the most similar to that of the Tour, but the biggest difference is that in the Dauphiné he doesn’t think on the overall. “I'm still in yellow by the circumstances of the race but to take it now doesn’ t mean that I'll take it at the end, because as we can say, this has not yet started”.