Legends of the TDF: The compelling story of Alberto Contador

Alberto Contador is hailed by many fans as one of the best cyclists of his generation. 'El Pistolero' had a career with many ups as well as downs. Let's take a look at Contador's story. All career info is sourced from ProCyclingStats.

Contador was born in Pinto, in the Spanish Community of Madrid, on 6 December 1982.

He has one sister and two brothers, one of whom suffers from cerebral palsy.

After playing football and trying out athletics, the young Contador took up cycling at the age of 12, thanks to his older brother Fran.

A couple of years later, Contador made an important decision and stopped studying to focus entirely on cycling.

Contador already made a name for himself as a young rider, taking his first victories, such as the Trofeo Colmenarejo and the Trofeo Industrial de Paracuellos.

In 2001, the Spaniard started racing for Iberdrola, a big Spanish amateur team. The year after that, he moved to Würth. With both teams, he celebrated several victories.

Contador turned professional in 2003, signing for ONCE-Eroski. His first major victory was the eighth stage of the Tour de Pologne, a time trial.

In 2004, racing for Liberty Seguros-Würth Team, Contador suffered the first major setback of his career when he fell in the opening stage of the Vuelta a Asturias after feeling unwell and was later diagnosed with a cerebral cavernoma.

Talking to The Guardian in 2015, Contador still remembers the episode. "The pain was so bad. I still tried to do the first stage and at the start I felt very cold. I remember only the first 40 kilometres and then slipping down the peloton and crashing. The convulsions started then," he explained.

"Fortunately an ambulance was there and they put a tube in to help me breathe. I was lucky it happened in a race because if I’d been training I would be dead," he continued.

Contador underwent a risky operation and was only able to return to training seven months later.

He opened his 2005 season in the Tour Down Under, where he won the fifth stage. 'El Pistolero' called it his "most important victory", as quoted by Cycling Today.

After good performances that year in the Vuelta al País Vasco and the Tour of Romandy and a GC win in the Setmana-Catalana, Contador made his Tour de France debut for Liberty Seguros, finishing 31st overall.

In 2006, Contador was denied participation at the Tour de France due to his implication in the Operación Puerto, a doping case carried out by the Spanish Guardia Civil. But Contador would soon return to French soil ...

He did so in the jersey of Discovery Channel, that signed him for 2007.

Contador performed strongly in France and took over the yellow jersey after the withdrawal of Denmark's Michael Rasmussen. The Spaniard held on to his GC lead position and took home the first Grand Tour of his career.

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In 2008, Contador would take another big step in his career, winning the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España for Astana, becoming one of the few riders in history to have won all three Grand Tours.

But Contador's thirst for victory had not yet been quenched, as he won his second Tour de France in 2009.

In 2010, Contador was once again one of the favourites to win the GC on French soil, and he reached Paris in the yellow jersey, but bad news would arrive soon ...

In September, not long after the Tour de France, Contador announced that he had failed a drug test for clenbuterol, blaming it on a contaminated food sample. He continued to compete, however, while facing a possible ban from cycling.

The positive test had major implications for Contador, who was stripped of his 2010 Tour de France and 2011 Giro titles and eventually was suspended until August 2012. Moreover, his contract with Team Saxo Bank was terminated.

But Contador would fight again as only great champions can. He re-signed for Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank and battled again in the Vuelta, where he took his second GC victory in 2012.

In the following years, Contador would add further major victories to his already impressive record, including the Vuelta in 2014 and the Giro in 2015, bringing his Grand Tour total to seven.

As a result, Contador is considered one of the best Spanish riders in history, if not the best, alongside his compatriot Miguel Indurian, who won the Tour no less than five times.

Contador retired in 2017, but he would not turn his back on cycling.

He is currently active as the manager of the Italian-registered Eolo–Kometa UCI ProTeam cycling team.

Moreover, he regularly features as a cycling commentator for television network Eurosport.

Since 2013, Contador has also been involved in his own foundation, which tries to promote cycling and fights against brain strokes.

Contador is undoubtedly one of the greats of cycling today and has won the hearts of many cycling fans, who still thank him for giving them many memorable moments. Gracias, Alberto!

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