Bravo Alberto Contador!

I feel somewhat cheated out of the coverage that Europe gives the sport of cycling. Although the sport has seen much turmoil over the past several years, it is still my favorite, both as a participant and a fan. Also, despite the lack of the coverage here in North America, I have kept track via the plethora of websites that inhabit cyber space. Most notable of these sites are Graham Watson’s photography site (http://www.grahamwatson.com) and the Procycling magazine site (http://www.procycling.com).


Hence, I was overjoyed when I learned that Alberto Contador won his first Giro d’Italia this past Sunday. According to TREK: (http://www.trekbikes.com)

Alberto Contador held off the competition in the final stage’s individual time trial to win this year’s Giro d’Italia, delivering TREK its 11th Grand Tour title and earning the reigning Tour de France Champion his second Grand Tour win. Contador’s win also marks the second Grand Tour Championship for the latest version of TREK’s flagship road bike platform, the OCLV Madone—a bike redesigned from the ground up to deliver an unrivaled balance of high performance, all-day riding comfort, superior efficiency, low weight, and captivating styling. Coming into the final stage just four seconds ahead of second-placed Riccardo Riccò, Contador raced his TREK Equinox TTX to an 11th placed finish, besting Riccò by nearly two minutes and sealing up his Giro Championship.

Contador’s latest Grand Tour victory is especially impressive given his less than ideal preparation. Originally excluded (along with the rest of his Astana teammates) back in February by Giro organizers, Contador was on holiday in the days leading up to this year’s race, spending his days on the beach rather than in the saddle. A last minute invite left a big question mark over Astana’s triple threat of Andreas Klöden, Levi Leipheimer, and Contador—all potential title contenders, but all in less than dialed conditioning. While Contador’s form certainly lacked some of its usual punch, consistently high finishes in the mountains and time trials, savvy racing tactics, and a powerful supporting team helped Contador ride into, and retain, the leader’s maglia rosa [name for the leader’s jersey in the Giro].

In my opinion, Contador’s win seemingly heralds good changes for the sport. It comes in the wake of controversy surrounding the disbanding of his former team: Discovery Channel. Due to replacement sponsors being hesitant to throw their support behind a cycling team in uncertain times, questions were also cast on the legitimacy of Contador’s win of the 2007 Tour De France as well as his teammate Levi Leipheimer’s amazing last day time trial performance. This win throws these performances back into the realm of legitimacy.