Contador to lead Tinkoff-Saxo for Vuelta

albertocontador

The Spaniard fractured his tibia during stage 10 of the Tour on July 14 and was one of a host of big names who failed to finish the 21-stage event, with the likes of Chris Froome (Team Sky) and Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) also being forced to withdraw.

Contador returned home following the accident en route from Mulhouse to La Planche des Belles Filles, the first mountain stage of the race, and looked certain to miss the Vuelta due to the extent of his injury.

However, the 31-year-old revealed last week he had been back on his bike and was hopeful of featuring in the race in his homeland.

With the opening stage commencing in Jerez de la Frontera on Saturday, his team have now confirmed Contador that he will head their squad over the three weeks and sports director Philippe Mauduit is confident they can have a successful race.

"With Alberto we have the chance to compete on a high level in the high mountain stage finishes and on the medium mountain stages," Mauduit told the team's official website. 

"Alberto crashed and broke his leg during the Tour and I'm not sure if it's plausible to aim for the overall win after only a few weeks of hard training in the mountains but we'll flash the jersey in the race and you will notice us.

"It's going to be a special race for us. 

"Just like the last part of the Tour de France, we'll take one stage at a time. Our line-up offers a number of opportunities. In the more flat terrain, we have a series of riders who will be able to nail the stage win that we are targeting in this year's edition of the Vuelta."

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