Contador up against Froome in early clash

Former Tour de France champions aim to kick off new season with a bang

MADRID: Former Tour de France winners Alberto Contador and Chris Froome will go head-to-head in their first outing of the 2015 season in the five-stage Ruta del Sol in Andalucía starting on Wednesday.

Spain’s Contador announced earlier that he intends to retire after two more seasons at the top. However, he also hinted that date could be moved forward should he succeed in becoming the first man since Italian Marco Pantani in 1998 to win both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the same season.

Contador was too good for British rider Froome as he stormed to a third Tour of Spain triumph in September, but is desperate to make up for the disappointment of having to retire during the 10th stage of last year’s Tour de France after suffering a broken leg in a heavy crash.

“I start my season soon and I’m desperate to get going,” said Contador.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2015.

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