Alberto Contador considered briefly returning to racing in 2020: "I said to myself: maybe you should go for the Giro. Just one more time"

Alberto Contador retired in 2017 as one of the best Spanish cyclists of all time. Winner of seven Grand Tours and a good number of one-week races and important stages, he is remembered for winning on the Angliru on his penultimate day of competition as a professional.

Despite having achieved important accomplishments, the Pinto rider confessed that he considered returning to racing after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Giro d'Italia was contested at another point in the season and he considered returning only to compete once again for the maglia rosa.

In the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast, the Spaniard talks about his itching: "I saw that the Giro d'Italia changed dates. I said to myself, Alberto, maybe you should go for the Giro. Only the Giro," says a then 37-year-old Contador.

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"I spoke to friends and they were like: Alberto, calm down. You've had a nice end to your career. Stay home with your family and ride your bike just for fun. And not for competition."

He also took the opportunity to talk about his life after cycling. Nowadays he's still connected to the sport he loves as a commentator for Eurosport: "I don't cycle much anymore, but in the first two years after I retired I did. At that time, it was sometimes difficult to watch TV. In 2017 I was still achieving records on TrainingPeaks. My 5-minute and 10-minute values were never better."

"When you retire you still have two years when you ride alone and you still have a lot of power in your legs. You don't feel tired, because you ride for a day and then you take two days off. When you ride again, your legs are full of power again. But I stopped at a good time. I was 34 years old, but it was a good ending. I am happy with the decisions I made."

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