Will Contador leave Astana prematurely?

Alberto Contador may change his mind about the return of Lance Armstrong. Initially, Contador said he would open the doors for Armstrong. Contador now may realise that Armstrong as co-captain would be bad for another bid at the Tour de France. The Spaniard was already prevented from riding the Tour de France this year. He may not like to let another opportunity slip by.

Contador told Spanish sports paper Marca he wants it to be clear who is in charge. "The team has given me guarantees on who is the leader, but I would like the maximum guarantee possible. I was told that they want to [support] me, but I have to see how it develops."

Contador emphasised that for now there is not a problem. "As of today, I see no problem to be with Armstrong." But Contador clarified that for the moment not everything is clear for the Astana future. "We have to wait and see what the objectives of Armstrong are ... and if Bruyneel counts on him for the Tour. If I am not content, I will leave."

Contador had some doubts if the two strong riders could really co-exist. "Everybody knows that Lance has a lot of character and controls everything. I do not want to see my objectives slowed down by his [Armstrong's] arrival. If I don't have the security that the team will pull for me, I will leave."

Contador added that finding a new team will be no problem for him. "I have many offers of ProTour teams."

Stay tuned for more as Cyclingnews will have an exclusive interview with Contador soon.