Contador looks ahead to the Tour de France

Contador talks about his specific training ahead of the Criterium du Dauphine and looking ahead to the Tour de France in July

Alberto Contador, about his training in the last weeks: "Basically it has been a fairly meticulous preparation. I took a few days off after the Basque Country, I took vacations to disconnect and then, little by little, I increased my training volume. The main block I have done was in Tenerife, at the Teide. I have been there for about 3 weeks and have returned a few days ago to continue here with the preparation."

"Compared to previous years, I have been thinking even more about July and that explains why I have not yet done a lot of intensity work. I have not trained behind the motorbike yet, I have not done series of maximum effort yet."

Alberto Contador, about the Critérium du Dauphiné: "My main objective for the Critérium du Dauphiné is to leave from here in good shape. I will use this week as further preparation for the Tour. This race will allow me to make a series of maximum efforts, but I will take it with tranquility. I will see day by day how my power is evolving, how the level of the race is and, depending on that I will make decisions for the coming stages."

"I don't think you have to win the Critérium du Dauphiné to win the Tour de France. I'm more in favor of doing a good race, maybe to go more slowly but working at the shape everyday, rather than to be at the start line thinking only and exclusively of getting the victory. Maybe there are people for whom psychologically, to have a greater confidence, it is good to win, but not for me. Obviously, everyone likes to win, but Dauphiné is Dauphiné and the Tour is the Tour. I have always liked to prepare Dauphiné and Tour in a totally different way."

"Coming here without any victory but with a lot of second places doesn't really change anything for me. Obviously, if this had happened to me in my early years as a professional, it would have changed something, but not now. And bearing in mind also that we now have power data to be able to analyze the performance you have had in each race, it is different. This year it may seem a lie and complicated, but it were practically all second places in the rankings by one factor or another, but I've ended up very happy about how I've found myself physically and how I've recovered from the efforts. Although I do not have victories like other years, I've come here with more confidence even."

"The Critérium du Dauphiné is a very nice race and I've been very close to winning it in the past, but I've never come here thinking about winning. It is a race of great importance, but it is just before the Tour de France, so I have always used it as a preparation. I remember climbing the Mont Ventoux in the Dauphiné and practically pouring my heart out because of the effort I had to put to follow some riders, and a few weeks later, during the Tour it seemed like the Ventoux was almost an easy climb."

Alberto Contador, about the end of his career: "Basically I still really enjoy working on the bike. I go race by race, but it is true that now in my head it is to continue in cycling. As time goes by, I may decide to finish one way or another, but now I'm enjoying a lot in each race and I plan to continue this way."