Sun, Jul 25 10 11:17 PM
Factbox on Spain's Alberto Contador, who won the Tour de France for the third time on Sunday.
Born: December 6, 1982 in Pinto, Spain.
Team: Astana (sponsored by a consortium of Kazakhstan companies).
* Turns professional with the Spanish Once-Eroski team in 2003 and wins the individual time trial stage at the Tour of Poland.
* 2004: Joins the Liberty Seguros team. Spends 10 days in a coma after a congenital vascular disorder caused a swelling in his brain.
* 2005: In January, eight months after brain surgery, wins the fifth stage of the Tour Down Under in Australia. Finishes 31st in his first ride at the Tour de France and third in the best young rider standings.
* 2006: Misses the 2006 Tour de France after his Astana-Wuerth team is forced out on the eve of the race because five of their riders are implicated in the Operation Puerto investigation.
Contador's name reportedly appears in documents seized in the Spanish police investigation but he is cleared by the International Cycling Union (UCI).
"I was in the wrong team at the wrong time," says Contador.
* 2007: Wins the Tour de France riding for the Discovery Channel team after former leader Michael Rasmussen of Denmark is excluded from the race.
* 2008: On Feb. 13 Tour de France organisers announce Astana, and as a consequence 2007 winner Contador who is now with the team, would not be invited to the 2008 Tour.
Wins the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon stage race in March and the Tour of the Basque Country stage race in April.
Six days before the start of the Giro d'Italia, Astana are officially invited to the three-week race. Contador cuts short a holiday to travel to Italy and wins the Giro.
Wins the Vuelta to become the fifth rider with victories in the three grand Tours (France, Italy, Spain).
* 2009: Cracks in the penultimate stage of the Paris-Nice race while wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey.
Takes two individual stage victories in the Tour de France and the team time trial on the way to winning the overall title for the second time, beating Luxembourg's Andy Schleck and seven-times champion Lance Armstrong.
* 2010: Wins the Paris-Nice race.
Claims his third Tour de France title after taking the yellow jersey in the 15th stage, although he did not win a stage during this year's race.
Source: Published>
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