Alberto Contador, winner of seven Grand Tours (two Giros, two Tours and three Vueltas a España), emphasized Spain’s potential to create a new UCI World Tour team, in addition to the existing Movistar Team.
Contador expressed his conviction that Spain has more than enough resources, with large companies, to embark on a new cycling project. He believes that companies that get involved will have a guaranteed return.
In his words to Europa Press, he stated: “We already know about the profitability, the amounts invested and the return, from cycling, and I think it is an unbeatable amount”.
Better visibility than football
During his visit to the Madrid International Tourism Fair, Alberto Contador explained that cycling “leaves a huge mark”.
“The name of the team is the ‘sponsor’ itself and the color of the shirt is not that of a football team like Real Madrid or Barcelona, but rather the corporate one. And this is a very important attraction”, he added.
Therefore, Alberto himself, together with his brother Fran Contador, general director of Polti Kometa, and also the former Italian cyclist Ivan Basso, are looking for “sponsorship to be able to take this leap towards the World Tour”.
“We know it’s not a simple thing, but I think we have a very, very attractive project, which comes from the youth teams, then there’s the under-23s and the professional team and we’re waiting for this sponsor to arrive”, wished the Spaniard.
Ayuso and Rodriguez have to “push the wagon”
Regarding the current national cycling, he highlighted that Juan Ayuso and Carlos Rodríguez “are growing”, and he is more looking forward to the “season” of the older ones, such as Mikel Landa or Enric Mas. “Carlos Rodriguez and Juan Ayuso are the ones who have to ‘push the wagon a little further’ when it comes to the hopes of Spanish cycling.”
World cycling vice spectacle
“I honestly think that, right now, cycling is going through one of the best moments in history”, there have been times when fans could “complain”, but currently, according to him, they are experiencing a “cycling spectacle”.
“From Cyclocross with mega idols like Wout Van Aert, Mathieu Van der Poel and Tom Pidcock, to when the first race of the year starts we are seeing performances. There are bold and young runners who attack from afar.”
In the Grand Tours Alberto Contador predicted “few surprises”. “I think Pogacar and Vingegaard will be the big references in the Grand Tours. Of course, we must pay attention to Remco (Evenepoel), Roglic and those young people who are growing like Uijtdebroeks, Carlos Rodríguez, Juan Ayuso or ‘guests’ like Adam Yates and Enric Mas, who still have things to do”, concluded Alberto Contador .