Published>Fri, Apr 23 10 01:06 AM
Alberto Contador is trying his luck in the classics but do not get the Spaniard wrong -- it's still all about the Tour de France for him.
The twice Tour de France champion, who also has Giro d'Italia and Tour of Spain triumphs under his belt, came close to another victory when he finished third in Wednesday's Fleche Wallonne, a one-day race in the Ardennes region.
Contador, 27, will give the classics another go at the Liege-Bastogne-Liege on Sunday, a far cry from the glamour of the Tour de France although the world's greatest race will also go through the same region in its first week.
"The big objective is the Tour de France. So although I want to win every race if I can, I never forget about that," the Astana rider told Reuters following a morning ride to Maastricht where he stopped to enjoy a hot chocolate in the sun with his team mates.
Contador, whose appearance at the Fleche Wallonne was his first in a classic since 2007, is set to remain in the Ardennes where he rides the cobblestones he must tackle in the opening week of this year's Tour.
"I will stay and go there to check the roads. I might also come back later this year so I can check the prologue route in Rotterdam," said the Spaniard, the right side of his skull showing a big scar from a life-threatening bike crash six years ago.
"This is going to be a tricky week because of the cobblestones and all the wind."
The Astana riders arrived late at their Liege hotel but it did not stop them joking around before going up to their rooms for a quick shower.
HOTEL LOBBY
Wearing his team uniform, a light blue polo shirt and black trousers with a 1. Leader tag on the right leg, Contador looked relaxed in the hotel lobby as he signed an autograph for a reporter's delighted son.
While Lance Armstrong focused solely on the world's greatest race during his years of domination from 1999-2005, Contador has a slightly broader approach.
"I am here to learn (about the classics)," he said as he set his sights on Sunday's demanding race where he will be joined by team mate Alexandre Vinokourov.
"When I start my season, during training, I'm thinking 'competition', I need to have big objectives quickly."
Contador has already won this year's Tour of Algarve, the ultra-competitive Paris-Nice race and the Tour of Castille and Leon.
However, once his job is done he is happy to chill out and relax on the beach.
"There are two sides to me," said Contador. "I need to be 100 percent focused (when I ride) but also, afterwards, to be 100 percent disconnected.
"I am happy to put the bike in the garage and see normal people."
Source: Web Search
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