Alberto Contador on Ayuso-Almeida leadership - "The team will bet on both of them"

In an exclusive interview with the Portuguese sports daily O Jogo, Alberto Contador, three-time winner of the Vuelta and now 40 years old, will once again take part in his country's great cycling race as a television commentator. For him, his compatriot Juan Ayuso is one of the candidates for the final victory, but he doesn't immediately rule out his teammate João Almeida, for whom he heaps praise.

"João Almeida is one of my candidates for the win," says Contador, "he's a good rider, very regular, tough, typical for the big laps. He came third in the Giro and has developed a lot in the mountains. He'll be in contention for the podium, he's one of those who has that ambition and it's only natural that he's thinking about it."

About his compatriot Juan Ayuso, Contador says: "He's very explosive and makes a lot of changes of pace," while the Portuguese rider "likes to go at pace and isn't one of the first to respond to an attack when it happens".

For Alberto, "the team will bet on both of them, give them freedom and then we'll see which way the scales tip," he adds.

On a possible UAE alliance with other teams, especially Remco Evenepoel's Soudal - Quick-Step, to attack Jumbo-Visma, he says: "It's always complicated. Jumbo is very solid, with two leaders, but it's a very complicated task. Each racer and each team is defending its own interests. There won't be a merger or help of that kind," he bets.