Contador signs with Discovery Channel

Spaniard Alberto Contador will join USA-based Discovery Channel. El País reports that the 24 year-old has signed a two year contract, for 2007 and 2008. Team manager Johan Bruyneel, who was rumoured to be hiring an additional Italian to back Ivan Basso, will likely use Contador to reinforce his star signing in either the Giro d'Italia or Tour de France.

Contador passed into the professional ranks in 2003 with ONCE, and has always been at under the guidance of now-exiled team manager Manolo Saiz. In 2006 he won two races, both in Switzerland, stage three of the Tour de Romandie and stage 8 of the Tour de Suisse.

In the first hours of Operación Puerto, Contador, as with most of the Liberty Seguros-Würth team, was announced on the list of riders treated by Doctor Eufemiano Fuentes. He was quickly distanced from involvement, and even Fuentes himself came out and reported that he never treated the rider. He continued racing with the Astana team in 2006 until health problems forced his withdraw from fourth stage of the Vuelta a Burgos. Since then he has not raced but continued his training and looks forward to a 2007 season with Discovery.