Biography of Alberto Contador
Alberto Contador Velasco was born on 6 December 1982 in Pinto, an autonomous community of Madrid, the third of four children of a family from Barcarrota. After having devoted himself to athletics and football, at fourteen gets closer to cycling thanks to his elder brother Francisco Javier; shortly after start running for the amateur team Real Velo Club Portillo. At sixteen he left school to engage exclusively in training: and the results are evident, thanks to the advice of Manolo Saiz, Captain of the Iberdrola-Loinaz, his team.
The years 2000 and the debut in professional cycling
After having won in 2002 the Spanish Championship Under 23 time trial champion, Alberto Contador turned professional in 2003 and is chosen by the Once-Eroski team directed by Manolo Saiz, with whom he had run in the last months of 2002 as an intern. Winner of the time trial stage of the tour of Poland that year, in 2004 remains on the same team, but changed sponsor and becomes Liberty Seguros. Survived a brain aneurysm that captures during a stage of the Vuelta a Asturias, back to run and in 2005 won a stage in the tour de Romandie, a time trial in the Vuelta al Paìs Vasco and the final results of the Catalan Week. The following year he won another stage of the Tour de Romandie, conquering a success at the tour of Switzerland, while his team following the Operación Puerto changes again sponsors and become Astana.First great successes
In 2007 Alberto Contador moved to Discovery Channel, team led by Johan Bruyneel: WINS Paris-Nice and the Vuelta a Castilla y León, but especially the Tour de France (where he won the great stage to Plateau de Beille), also due to the suspension of its most direct rival, the Dane Michael Rasmussen. Also the owner of the White Jersey destined for the best young rider, you see assign at the end of the season the Vélo d'Or. In 2008 Contador following Bruyneel to Astana, following the abandonment of cycling by the Discovery Channel; It cannot, however, defend his title at the Tour de France, as Astana was excluded from all races managed by the body which organises the French stage race, the ASO, due to the involvement of many athletes in doping cases. After winning the Vuelta a Castilla y León, the Iberian runner is chosen for the tour of Italy: a choice that proves a winner, since in the end Contador wins the tour ahead of Riccardo Riccò and Marzio Bruseghin.In the Olympics and in sports history
After having grazed the Olympic medal in the time trial of the Beijing Games, where it comes just eight seconds from third place, Contador won the tour of Spain and enters into the history of cycling, becoming the fifth rider-after Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault--able to win all three Grand Tours (as well as being the third to win Giro and Vuelta in the same season After Merckx and Baby). In 2009 won two stages at Paris-Nice and becomes national champion time trial; but, above all, is repeated in the Tour de France, winning the yellow Jersey after the stage to Verbier and keeping it up to Paris despite attacks from Andy Schleck.The years 2010
The following year he was first in the final classification of the Volta ao Algarve and of Paris-Nice. Third at Flèche Wallonne and won two stages at the critérium du Dauphiné, the Spanish cyclist looks at the Tour de France from favorite, and won again the yellow Jersey ahead of Schleck and Denis Menchov.The suspicion of doping
After announcing his switch from Astana to Saxo Bank directed by Bjarne Riis, though, Contador is suspended by the International Cycling Union for a positive clenbuterol detected in an anti-doping tests run on a rest day of the Tour. In January 2011 is suspended by the Spanish cycling Federation, but less than a month later may return to the races thanks to the final ruling of the Federation itself. It's the start of a controversial case, which leads the International Cycling Union and World Anti-Doping Agency to file a notice of appeal to the Court of arbitration for Sport: pending the judgment of the Tas, then, Contador race sub judice, and in this condition wins his second tour of Italy, with more than six minutes ahead of Michele Scarponi. Also present at the Tour de France, where it ends at fifth place in the final standings also because of two falls, finish the season, but in 2012 is banned for two years by the Tas: the decision has retroactive effect from August 2010 to August 2012; the Iberian cyclist loses, then, the Tour of 2010 and 2011 tour.The return to competitions
Returned to racing, in 2013 recurs at the Tour finishing fourth. In 2014, however, is winning the Vuelta, winning among others the stage of The Farrapona/Lagos de Somiedo. The season ends with the second spot in the world rankings behind compatriot Alejandro Valverde. In the spring of 2015, Contador looks in the tour of Italy from big favorite: at the end of may, as predicted, he's the winner.Article contributed by the team of collaborators.