Contador seemed to struggle to even turn the pedals, such was the fatigue in his legs. He seemed to be on the ropes, close to a technical knockout, and was unable or refused to speak with the swarm of Spanish radio reporters who surrounded him. He had lost 2:51 to Chris Froome (Team Sky), finishing a lowly 11th on the stage. He is now sixth overall, 4:04 behind Froome.
It is a situation he has rarely experienced during his successful Grand Tour career and means his hopes of a Giro-Tour double are in tatters.
Latest Videos From
“I couldn’t breathe very well, it was hard to breathe,” he admitted at the Tinkoff-Saxo bus after recovering slightly from his huge effort to limit his losses.
"For me it was impossible to keep up with Froome, but lots of others too," he said. "We’ve got to congratulate Froome. He’s three points better than the rest of us. He has done what he wanted and has shaken up the general classification."
Like all the other riders left defeated on the first climb of this year’s Tour de France, Contador hung onto the hope that Froome has a long way to go before the winner is eventually crowned in Paris.
“The Tour is still very long. I have been in a similar position many times and you can never assume that you’ve won,” he said, perhaps knowing all the mountain stages to come could also be a severe test of his own ability.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
