Astana News: Gold For Alberto Contador and Astana Cycling Team

Alberto Contador lived up to expectations by winning the 63rd Vuelta a España. The 25-year-old Astana Cycling Team rider is the first Spanish rider in history to win the three Grand Tours. Contador already won the 2007 Tour de France and the 2008 Giro d'Italia and equals Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault as winners of all three Grand Tours. He even surpasses the achievements of the other four riders as the fourteen months between his Tour 2007 victory and the end of the Vuelta bests the Vuelta/Tour (1978) and Giro (1980) triple time frame set by Hinault. It was a complete success for Astana Cycling Team as teammate Levi Leipheimer finished second overall.

After the last stage in Madrid (won by Matti Breschel of Team CSC-Saxo Bank), Contador was congratulated on the podium by Don Jaime Lissavetzky, Spanish State Secretary of Sports, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, Alcalde de Madrid and Pat McQuaid, President of the International Cycling Federation. Before celebrating in the evening with family and teammates, the Vuelta winner and his teammates were welcomed in the Kazakh Embassy in Madrid. Ambassador Yergali Bulegenov honored the team. "It is the mission of this team to foster national pride and I believe that the Vuelta victory and the team's 2008 successes are major milestones for the country. All  Kazakhs should be filled with pride knowing they have the best stage racing team in the world."

“We met some adversities in the beginning of the season,” remarked Contador, “but the remaining 2008 season was more than positive. However, I would never have accomplished this mission without my teammates. Many thanks to Levi, Andreas, Assan, Dmitriy, Benjamín, Sérgio,Chechu and Tomas. To win the three Grand Tours in such a short period is surely very special, but I don't realize it yet. They were three very different Tours. In France and Italy, I did not start as a favorite, which made it easier. In Italy I had to deal with the cold temperatures and rain.  In France there was the stress provoked by the crowds and many media. In Spain I could ride on my own roads and was encouraged by my home fans. All three victories are special.”

Team Directors Alain Gallopin and Viatcheslav Ekimov were happy with the victory but most of all with the work of the whole team. "It was not always easy with many windy stages. The Team had to work long and hard hours at the front of the race," commented Alain Gallopin. “I am proud they all worked for the same goal, bringing Alberto in that Gold Jersey to Madrid. It is not so evident that potential Grand Tour winners, like Andreas Klöden and Levi Leipheimer, took on the role as super domestiques.”

Team Manager Johan Bruyneel was extremely proud as well. “We will toast this victory tonight, not only for Alberto Contador, but for the Astana Team as a whole. It should be clear that we have our place in all big cycling events. We proved this year to be the best Team for stage races. Organizers who don't want us punish themselves and seem to devalue their own race. We've proved how professionally we have conducted ourselves throughout the entire season. I cannot be more proud. The season is not over yet, but the mission is already more than accomplished. We have the support of the President of Kazakhstan, Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, of the Kazakh Cycling Federation and of our Kazakh sponsors. Astana Cycling Team is not a commercial initiative. The intent is to promote cycling and the future of this sport, not only in Kazakhstan. I received guarantees that this is not a short term initiative. We will continue to build a strong team. As the country of Kazakhstan gave us these opportunities, we are glad to carry that blue flag to the rest of the world. As a bonus, our results are a nice present for the tenth anniversary of the City of Astana.”

The riders will take a few days rest and then head to Varese. Twelve Astana Cycling Team riders will participate in the World Championships.