Skip Navigation
Last year’s Tour de France Champion Alberto Contador used a gutsy time trial performance in the final stage of the Tour of the Basque Country to secure overall victory in the 48th running of the event. Starting the day eight seconds ahead of his nearest rival, the wiry Astana rider summoned his impressive climbing prowess to storm the steep opening sections of the 20k time trial, amassing a 21-second lead aboard his Trek Equinox TTX SSL by the 4k mark. From there Contrador held his ground, ending the stage 22 seconds ahead of last year’s Tour de France runner-up Cadel Evans.
“It was so hard,” noted a jubilant, albeit exhausted Contador. “Nobody knew it, but I slept so poorly this week because of dental problems. On Thursday, we had to look for a dentist after the race. Yesterday, I felt so bad, but I could hide it from the other riders. This victory is so important, as I could show that I am as good, or even better, than the other big tour favorites or the favorites for the
Supported by his powerful Astana teammates, Contador lead this year's Basque Tour from start to finish, winning the opening stage to snatch an 8-second advantage over his main rivals, last year’s Giro d’Italia winner Damiano Cunego, last year’s second-place Tour de France finisher Cadel Evans, and Dutchmen Thomas Dekker. Contador’s Astana team rode brilliantly, vigilantly controlling the race to keep him in the lead. “I had to pay my team back for all the hard work they’ve done [throughout the Tour],” noted Contador. With his latest win, Contador takes his sixth victory of the season and his 25th victory as a professional rider.
Overall Classification:
2. Cadel Evans. +0.30
3. Thomas Dekker +0.35
4. Damiano Cunego +0.57
