Alberto Contador is hoping to be part of the Spanish squad for the world championships after taking part in the Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain) when his doping ban ends in August, the double Tour de France champion said on Tuesday.
Contador was handed a retroactive two-year ban by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in February and was stripped of his 2010 Tour title after failing a test for the banned anabolic agent clenbuterol.
“I will be back for the Eneco Tour. For the first time, I can say that I will be at the Vuelta,” Contador told Spanish radio network Cadena COPE.
The week-long Eneco Tour, also called the Tour of Benelux, starts on Aug. 6, one day after Contador's suspension ends, and will finish on Aug. 12. The Vuelta starts six days later.
Contador will then set his sights on the road world championships in Valkenburg, Netherlands the following month.
“I would like to be part of the selection,” he said.
Considered the greatest stage-race rider of his generation, Contador is one of only five riders with overall victories in all three grand tours (France, Spain and Italy). – Reuters