Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

Alberto Contador likely to miss Vuelta +video (in Spanish)

Tinkoff-Saxo rider opts not to undergo surgery – but prospect of showdown with Froome in Spain is remote

Alberto Contador, who yesterday broke his shinbone during Stage 10 of the Tour de France, has undergone further tests in Madrid today and may not be fit enough to take part in the Vuelta when it starts in less than six weeks’ time.

Contador won the Spanish Grand Tour in 2012 after returning to cycling from a mainly backdated two-year ban, and Team Sky’s Chris Froome, who also crashed out of the Tour in recent days, has expressed the hope that they will lock swords at the Vuelta this year.

However, with less than six weeks to go until the Vuelta gets under way, the Spaniard knows he faces a race against time, and has elected against having surgery in a bid to speed up his recovery.

Quoted on the Tinkoff-Saxo website, Contador said: “The doctor told me that surgery would increase the trauma the knee has suffered and will delay the recovery time even further so I’m not undergoing surgery.

“The good news is that I have no tendon or ligament injured and the fissure is in the best possible place. I’m homebound for minimum two weeks and, until the wounds heal, the leg has to be immobilised.

“Doctors have told me it will be almost impossible to become ready for the Vuelta but we’ll see how the recovery dvelops.

“I’m calm because the doctors gave me the worst case scenario but I will work hard in the coming weeks and we’ll see how far I can get”, he added.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Add new comment

13 comments

Avatar
Leviathan | 9 years ago
0 likes

I heard he had broken his fibbing bone. Hope he's better soon.

Avatar
shay cycles | 9 years ago
0 likes

Surely the message here is that riders who have had "special" steaks shouldn't ride carbon frames at high speed through potholes with no hands if they value their kness!

And that if you really don't want to get back on with broken bones you need the team car to roll over and destroy all the spare bikes

 3

Avatar
mudshark | 9 years ago
0 likes

So if I understand correctly Bertie's carbon knee broke in a crash and can't be fixed in time for the Vuelta but if it was made of alu it would be OK now?

Avatar
notfastenough replied to mudshark | 9 years ago
0 likes
mudshark wrote:

So if I understand correctly Bertie's carbon knee broke in a crash and can't be fixed in time for the Vuelta but if it was made of alu it would be OK now?

You can be sued for saying that. It's an S-Works knee and they're awesome, and don't break. It was his balls that are alloy, as they need to be if you're thinking of descending one-handed at 70kph on a badly-surfaced wet road.

Avatar
veseunr | 9 years ago
0 likes

I think there are lessons here:

1. Try not to get a carbon frame run over - they work less well after.

2. No handed through a pothole is generally a bad idea.

3. Surgery is the last resort on carbon frames .... and knees. (Not Christian Knees, though!)  4

Avatar
Cycliste65 | 9 years ago
0 likes

Thank god I still ride an alloy frame. Though about getting a carbon framed cycle. Don't think I bother if it going to crack as soon as I hit a pothole at speed. Still get well soon Bertie?  41

Avatar
dave atkinson replied to Cycliste65 | 9 years ago
0 likes
Cycliste65 wrote:

Thank god I still ride an alloy frame. Though about getting a carbon framed cycle. Don't think I bother if it going to crack as soon as I hit a pothole at speed. Still get well soon Bertie?  41

you *are* aware that isn't what happened, right?

Avatar
Mendip James | 9 years ago
0 likes

I smashed the fcuk out of my sworks with a lump hammer last night as a precautionary measure

Avatar
Toxmarz | 9 years ago
0 likes

It broke either before, during or after the crash.

Avatar
Miles253 | 9 years ago
0 likes

Speedy recovery

Avatar
Will Steed | 9 years ago
0 likes

Get well soon Bertie. Its a shame we couldnt see you, froomie and nibbers fighting it out on the big lumps.

Avatar
TheSpaniard | 9 years ago
0 likes

Anyone know what happened to his bike....?  35

Avatar
Bristol Bullet replied to TheSpaniard | 9 years ago
0 likes
TheSpaniard wrote:

Anyone know what happened to his bike....?  35

According to the ITV4 guys, the bike he was riding suffered only a scuffed saddle. When his team car tried to reach him the bike rack on the roof tangled with the bike rack on another team car's roof and tore apart the frame of one of Contadors spare bikes.

Latest Comments