Frequently audacious, often controversial and always entertaining, Alberto Contador is one of the most accomplished Grand Tour riders to ever get in the saddle. With the Spaniard announcing that this month’s Vuelta a España will be his final race as a professional, here are a few of our favourite El Pistolero moments:
¡Hola! Me llamo Alberto
Anyone who’s been unfortunate enough to race against Contador will attest to his unmatched ability to put himself into the red on a long climb, but perhaps nobody knows this quite as well as Michael Rasmussen. In the 2007 Tour de France, the Dane held yellow by a decent margin from Contador, competing in only his second Grand Tour, as the peloton snaked towards the Pyrenees, though it was the young Spaniard who stole the show on the Col de Peyresourde on stage 15.
Contador attacked the yellow jersey not once, but four times on the epic climb, and while he failed to put any time into Rasmussen, he established himself as an aggressive, fearless rider, not to be underestimated on the biggest stage. When Rasmussen was unceremoniously removed from the race days later, Contador would assume a race lead that he would hold all the way to Paris for his maiden Grand Tour win.
Dethroning the king
The 2009 Tour de France saw a Hinault v LeMond-esque conflict emerge between two of the sport’s biggest names. Lance Armstrong had come out of retirement to re-join Contador’s Astana team, plunging the two into a heated leadership war on and off the bike, with the decisive battle coming on stage 15. Going into the stage, Contador and Armstrong were neck and neck, sat six and eight seconds back, respectively, on the yellow jersey. As only an elite selection remained on the final climb to Verbier, Contador left Armstrong, and indeed the rest of the group, for dead with a stinging attack that erased all doubt as to who was Astana’s top dog. Contador would go on to claim a second overall win in Paris, and as for Lance…
Old dog, same tricks
Even as Contador entered his 30s, he proved time and time again that he still had a knack for a stylish Grand Tour win, and he demonstrated this with aplomb at the 2014 Vuelta a España. As the Queen stage up to La Farrapona reached its climax, Contador, in the red jersey, had only pre-race favourite Chris Froome for company heading into the final kilometre. Not content to simply defend his race lead, Contador unleashed a trademark attack, putting considerable daylight between himself and a seemingly helpless Froome. It was a move oozing with panache, and the highlight of an emphatic third Vuelta win.
Of course, even Alberto himself will admit that none of these awe-inspiring rides would’ve been possible without a quality bike underneath him. Here are a couple of the machines he’s been lucky enough to have at his disposal in recent years:
However you feel about his past, there’s no doubt that the sport will miss his daring, aggressive style on the bike and his charisma off it. All the best in your retirement, Berto!
