The 2015 season will begin for Tinkoff-Saxo team captain Alberto Contador at this year's Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista del Sol. Here, the former Tour de France champion will lead his team in his first quest of this season. Contador is happy with how the winter period went and the pre-season training he has carried out in recent months. 

 

"I'm happy to be here in Andalucia, because it is a race I have never done in my career and because I'm feeling good. My winter was like I wanted it to be. I did a lot of groundwork thinking about the 2015 Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France 2015, as they will be the two cornerstones that will mark my season. Perhaps I will lack a bit of explosiveness here, but I'm bringing a strong team and we can deliver a good performance," the Tinkoff-Saxo team captain explained when interviewed in his hotel before the start of the race.

 

This year's Vuelta a Andalucia is offering a route, which suits Contador. "It's a very attractive route for me and I support this kind of parcours because it engages the public and fans because of its time trial and the two uphill finishes. I am familiar with the third stage, Hazallanas, and I know it's particularly hard. That’s where we will see how I compare to the other riders. I'll try to do my best and we'll find out where I stand."

 

With his main season goals being this year's Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, compared to past winters, Contador has been training with less intensity in order for him to avoid peaking too early. "This year I put on a little less intensity, focusing precisely on the Giro and the Tour. I wanted to reach a good level, but not wear me out more than necessary. Maybe I'm a little further back than last year," Contador explained.

 

For the first time ever, Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso will be riding together in the same team. "It is a dream for me to have him on my team," Contador explained to Roadcycling.com. "We have an extraordinary relationship and I am honored that a champion of his level will work for me."

 

Given his current level of fitness, Contador doesn't want to think about the result of the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista del Sol race, even though he assures our readers he will try to give his best. "I'm a rider who likes to give the maximum in every race and this is what I intend to do here as well. It will be my physical condition that decides how it all turns out. I will do my best to finish with a result as good as possible, but I believe winning will be complicated."

 

Contador also took the opportunity to elaborate on his preliminary retirement plans, which were announced on Monday. Contador has scheduled his retirement for the end of 2016. "Many comments have been made on what I said about my retirement, but one has to keep in mind there are still two full seasons ahead. It seems as if I were to retire tomorrow and there are still a thousand races left ahead of us, in which a thousand things might happen. What I want, is to enjoy every moment, every race and continue the way I have been doing so far. Two years is a long time," Team Tinkoff Bank - Saxo Bank captain Contador concluded with a smile.

 

Alberto Contador is using the premium TrainingPeaks system to log and plan his training. Sign up for a premium training diary to log and plan your training like Contador and become a better cyclist.