"Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert are riders who have a lot at stake" - Alberto Contador foresees head to head showdown for Olympic gold in Paris

Alberto Contador recently spoke on Eurosport about the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. He has reviewed all the important issues, from the three Spaniards who will be present trying to dispute the gold medal, as who are for him the great favourites in both the time trial and the road race.

The first question he was asked was about what he thinks are the options for the Spanish riders in the French capital, to which the legendary cyclist answered the following: "Well, I see them well, I see them well. It's true that I think that, for example on the road, there are some countries that are a bit more favoured than us, that's a reality. But I think we have riders who at a given moment can filter into the good group, they can try to surprise with a breakaway and be able to win a medal. Also, in principle, some of them will be in a good shape coming from the Tour de France. For example, Pello Bilbao, Carlos Rodríguez and Juan Ayuso, are riders that filter very well and also have a small speed tip that they handle well. I want to see how Juan Ayuso finishes, but for me Juan Ayuso is the rider who in a given moment could have more options just because of that, because of his speed tip, although Carlos and Pello are also fast."

He also spoke about who he believes are the top favourites to win the gold in the time trial and the road race. He didn't surprise with the names, which are a bit of what everyone is talking about in regards to thr time trial, but his bet for the champion in the road race was still striking.

"Well let's see, I think that for the time trial, if everything goes normally, if he recovers well from the Tour, for me the favorite is Remco Evenepoel. It's true that he'll also have Filippo Ganna, who will be preparing at 100%, but for me, I think Remco can take it, he's riding very strong. And as for the road, I think both Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert are riders who have a lot at stake, riders who are extremely motivated, riders who can handle themselves perfectly on a course like Paris and who have a great top speed. If I had to say one, I would still go for van Aert."

Finally, he commented on the proximity between the Tour de France and the Games. The Tour de France finishes on July 21 and the time trial will be on July 27, so Remco Evenepoel will have little recovery time between the two races. The online race will be on August 3, so the riders will have more time to get back in shape after the Tour.

"Let's see, it does condition it, but I think it's for the best. Normally, after the Tour de France it's always the Clásica de San Sebastián, and the riders who have done well in the Tour are the ones who compete and win the Clásica de San Sebastián. So I don't think it's going to be a handicap. It is true that it is different to consider a Tour in which you fight every day to win or to work for your team, as in the case of van Aert or Remco Evenepoel for example, maybe a Mathieu van der Poel can allow himself some days a little more relaxed, it is true that it can have some influence but the Tour certainly always adds up to arrive in better conditions for the Olympic Games."