Spaniard glad he tried to win Tour after Giro victory
Saturday 25 July 2015 22:27, UK
Alberto Contador is “glad” he tried to win the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France double and believes it is not impossible even though he failed.
Contador won the Giro in May but was well short of his best form throughout the Tour and is set to finish fifth overall, 9min 48sec down on winner Chris Froome.
Contador was aiming to become the first rider since Marco Pantani in 1998 to complete the double.
He said: “It’s true that there are riders that would dream of finishing fifth. For me that was not my objective, but I’m glad that I tried.
“If I hadn’t tried, then after my career I might have wondered whether I could have done the Giro-Tour double, and now I know.
“I don’t think it’s impossible to do the double, but it’s really complicated because nobody has the experience on how to prepare it. However, I prefer having tried than being left with a desire to do it.”
Contador, who won the Tour in 2007 and 2009, intends to return to the race next year and bid for a third yellow jersey, before turning his attentions to the 2016 Olympic road race in Rio.
The Spaniard added: “For next year, I plan my season similar to that of 2014 - to enjoy the start of the season in top shape and to do the Tour and then the Olympics.
“I think that next year’s Olympics is hard and as such can adapt to my style, which doesn’t happen often.”
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