During the period when Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France, the Texan had a race programme that was known for being carefully structured about arriving at the Tour in the best shape possible. Balancing fitness and freshness meant that he avoided riding any other Grand Tours between 1999 and 2005, and also had a condensed racing programme.
Alberto Contador races more than Armstrong, but he too has avoided competing in the Giro d'Italia before riding the Tour. That’s changing this year; he is aiming to be the first rider since Marco Pantani to do the double, even if it is something that his Saxo Bank SunGard team manager Bjarne Riis concedes is a very difficult thing to do.
“We also know that there is risk that it might not be possible, but why not try?” he said at today’s press conference in sunny Alpignano. “We don’t feel that it is [too much of] a risk to try, I think it is beautiful to try, to have the guts to go out there and try to do it.
“There are not many riders in the peloton who can do that, if there is somebody, it is definitely Alberto. For me, he is a great champion and a professional bike rider that his hard to find. He is very dedicated, I believe he is ready for Giro.”
Riis said that things had been tailored to try to ensure that the rider isn’t too jaded by the time the Tour comes around. Riding the two Grand Tours is something that they have discussed for a long time, and he said that some thought has gone into striking the right balance.
“I think the programme we have selected is very good in terms of having the right preparation – not too much, not too little, still have time to recover in between races and also have time to do the right training to be ready,” he said.
“We all know that the Giro is very difficult. You need to be ready, in good condition, but also fresh. I believe that Alberto is that. I think we will see the rest on the road.”
Riis has been running high level teams for many years now, and has worked with many big-name riders. Ivan Basso, Carlos Sastre, Andy Schleck and others have been guided by him. He appeared to have been left high and dry when the Schleck brothers announced last year that they were jumping ship to Leopard Trek, but some negotiating with sponsors and Contador saw the Spanish rider come on board instead.
He was asked how he compared to the other leaders in the past. “I can say that all cyclists are different. Every leader we have on team has a different personality. For sure, for me, Alberto is a great champion, he has unbelievable qualities as a bike rider, but also personal skills that are important to have as a leader,” he said.
“He doesn’t just take care of these guys, but also the rest of the team and the staff. This is very important. He shows big skills and qualities in that direction too.
“I don’t like to compare different leaders too much, because everybody has their right to be who they are. I don’t like when everybody is the same. Alberto has to be Alberto, Basso has to be Basso. Sometimes it is too easy just to compare, but I don’t want to do that.
“But he is very dedicated. I think the two most dedicated leaders I have had on the team are Basso and Alberto, but they are two different types of riders. Alberto very serious, always well prepared in every single race he is doing. Nothing is by accident.”
Riis spoke of Contador’s physical qualities, something he said ensures that he can hit strong form very quickly and which therefore has an effect on his racing schedule. It’s something which he feels helps them ensure he is not over-raced, that he doesn’t have to do too much to build his condition.
“I remember when we met for the first time with the team in December, we talked about the programme. I had an idea of a beautiful programme. He said ‘Bjarne, I don’t need to do that many races…give me a bike and in one month I am ready to win.’ Not many riders can say that, but actually Alberto can do it,” he said.
“That just shows his qualities, that he is always good. Even in off season, he is always well prepared. The qualities he has are unbelievable.”
Contador will be backed by eight Saxo Bank SunGard riders, namely Richie Porte, Daniel Navarro, Jesus Hernandez, Laurent Didier, Volodymir Gustov, Kasper Klostergaard, Matteo Tosatto and Michael Morkov. Riis said that the squad was determined for specific reasons.
“We are dedicated, we are motivated, and I would say motivation in this team is very crucial. That is also how we selected riders for this race. We had a list of riders who could have been here, who physically were good enough, but we find these guys who are here are those in very good shape but also with top motivation to perform as well as possible.”
Bounces pressure onto rivals:
Of those in the Giro peloton, Contador stands above in terms of what he has won. That ensures he will be closely watched, but Riis did what he could to redirect the attention elsewhere. “As I see it, the pressure is not on Alberto because we know how good he is, what he can do,” he said, using his achievements as a buffer. “He won a Giro, he won a Vuelta and three Tours. So he doesn’t have to prove anything.
“I think the pressure is on the rivals like Nibali, Scarponi, etcetera, as now they have the chance to prove how good they are. If they want to win the race, they have to beat Alberto. I think everybody knows that.”
Contador is arguably the quickest climber in the peloton, but has himself admitted that he is scared by the amount and severity of the mountains in this year’s race. A bad moment can ruin any rider’s hopes, and this year’s route will put everyone to a big test. So too the transfers, which will see the riders spend a lot of recovery time on the team buses.
Riis doesn’t want too much attention to be paid to this, though. He believes that the riders simply have to accept it and get on with it.
“Yes, there are some crazy stages, but before we have faced it, we don’t really know what it will be like,” he said. “There has been a lot of talk that it is too hard, that there are too many transfers, it is too much – yes, but let’s discuss that afterwards, because now it is too late. Now it is what we have for the next three weeks.
“We don’t need to complain about it, because tomorrow we face the start. Let’s face it, let’s do it. It is about being professional, recovering between the stages, playing smart; this is what we are going to do.”