Contador's Vuelta: The first stage of the 2015 Tour de France?

At times, the early part of the season seemed like little more than a game of long-distance one-upmanship between Chris Froome and Alberto Contador. Froome won the Tour of Oman on the same weekend that Contador claimed a stage at the Volta ao Algarve. The Spaniard went on to win Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of the Basque Country, so Froome responded firmly with (an ultimately controversial) victory at the Tour de Romandie.

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Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.