Alberto Contador started his professional cycling career in 2003 and raced for some of the top teams in the world before retiring in 2017. Regarded as one of the sport's best climbers, Contador won multiple titles in all three Grand Tours: Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España. In an exclusive interview with Cyclingnews, Contador takes a personal and in-depth look back at his career and the five races that shaped his life.
Subida a Gorla 2001
When I was amateur, there was definitely one race that stands out, which was the Subida a Gorla [the Gorla hillclimb] in 2001 in the Basque Country, my first year as an amateur. It's a short hill climb which you do as a road race, whoever got to the top first, won. And in fact, I still hold the record for that climb. People used to say that whoever won it, would then go on to be a professional and a good rider. I've had three dogs, one called Tour, and another Etna. But the first I called Gorla because that climb and race was so important to me.
Tour de Pologne 2003
The Tour de Pologne in 2003, when I won my first race as a pro, with ONCE-Eroski. It coincided with ONCE being in the Vuelta a España fighting for the overall with Isidro Nozal against Roberto Heras. And then there we were in Poland, racing on some really dangerous circuits. It was tipping down with rain almost every day, and by the time we got to the final time trial [19 kilometres on stage 7 from Jelenia Gora to Karpacz - ed.], there were only two of us left in the ONCE team, me and Koldo Gil. The last day was a split stage; a short uphill stage in the morning and then a time trial with a flat section and then an uphill part, maybe five kilometres or so, to finish it off. I'd always done well in time trials, and there I was as a neo-pro. I went over to the director the night before and said, "Hey, what about if I only go through the motions in the morning stage and then save as much strength as possible, and really go for it in the afternoon?"
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And the director, Santi García, looked at me and said "OK if that's what you want" and so I sat back when the racing got tough in the morning and let myself get dropped. In the afternoon, I was in the warm-up and getting really nervous. I was telling myself time and again, "I've got to win, I've got to win." After which I got the best time, and none of the GC riders could beat me. I think that was the only time in my career as a pro that I deliberately let myself take it easy on one stage, and get dropped so that I could do better in the next!
Tour Down Under 2005
The Tour Down Under was the first race I could do after my stroke [in the Vuelta a Asturias 2004, leading to eight months off the bike - ed.] and it represented my first step back to a normal life. Heading over to Australia came with a very long flight, from Madrid to Kuala Lumpur and then on to Adelaide, and I spent a lot of those two flights just thinking about what I had achieved, and how I'd managed to come back to racing again.
It hadn't been easy. To cure me, they opened up my entire skull, I'd had some epileptic fits, and there was some major bruising as well, and I had no idea if it would be possible to race again. Then there were some doctors who said it was too soon, others who disagreed, but finally, they gave me the all clear on November 27 [of 2004] to start riding a bike again, and that was the first day I could start training again, too. From day one I went all out as hard as I could, training every single day with whoever I could find who'd be happy to spend a few hours on a bike ride or training by myself.
The Giro d'Italia 2008
The Vuelta a España 2017
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via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/alberto-contador-the-five-races-that-changed-my-life
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