Alberto Contador announced on Monday that La Vuelta 2017 will be the last race of his career. It’ll be his fifth participation to an event he won three times (2008, 2012 and 2014) and finished fourth last year (behind Nairo Quintana, Chris Froome and Esteban Chaves). He never tackled it as defending champion in the past, so for the first – and last – time, he’ll be identified by the bib number 1 as the organization decided to put his team Trek-Segafredo on top of the start list.
“That Alberto chooses Spain and La Vuelta to call it a career is a great honor for the whole organization”, the general director of La Vuelta Javier Guillén declared. “We are wholeheartedly grateful to the generosity he always demonstrated as a rider and that he shows once again with this decision. Alberto is – and will forever be – part of the history of cycling in our country and elsewhere.”
Contador became the fifth cyclist to win all three Grand Tours at the age of 25 when he made his debut at La Vuelta in 2008 one year after he claimed his first Tour de France and three months after he won his first Giro d’Italia. With this record, he rejoined Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault [only Vincenzo Nibali entered that club since].
On the penultimate day of the coming La Vuelta, he’ll return to the Alto de l’Angliru where he received his first leader’s jersey nine years ago. It was also his first stage win in a solo effort in the last five kilometers of climbing. He doubled up the day after at Fuentes de Invierno with one week to go and caught the heart of the aficionados.
On his second participation, he wasn’t back to his best level of performance yet after a forced six-month break in 2012. Race leader Joaquim Rodriguez looked like he had the red jersey sealed but Contador launched an expected attack in the Collado La Hoz located 52km before the end in the breathtaking surroundings of the Picos de Europa while some of his team-mates were part of the breakaway, waiting for his action. The Pinto native turned the race upside down! It remains the biggest exploit of the modern era of La Vuelta.
In 2014, Contador didn’t seem ready to start La Vuelta after crashing badly at the Tour de France. Ten days prior to the opening team time trial at Jerez de la Frontera, he changed his mind and decided to give it a try. Luck was on his side this time with Nairo Quintana crashing against the clock while wearing the red jersey. Bluffing as much as he possibly could in his fragile shape, he fended off Chris Froome, Alejandro Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez to win the penultimate stage atop Los Ancares and reach the start of the conclusive time trial at Santiago de Compostela with an advantage of 1.37 over Froome.
Contador has been Froome’s nightmare at La Vuelta once again last year when he combined forces with Quintana on stage 15 to Aramon Formigal while the British favourite of the race was trapped at the back. Following his ninth place overall at the Tour de France last month, the most prolific Grand Tour rider of the recent years has decided to call it a career before turning 35 in December. He might as well be able to equal the record of four overall victories at La Vuelta but at least he’s likely to make someone lose it, and with him, spectacle and fans’ enthusiasm are guaranteed.
