Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme: "I see a lot of Alberto Contador in Tadej Pogacar"

Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour de France will be honoured this Thursday along with Miguel Induráin and Joane Somarriba with the Franco-Spanish Friendship Dialogue Award.

In statements collected by EFE and Eurosport, the head of the Grande Boucle gave a review of the best Spanish cyclists (Alberto Contador, Luis Ocaña, Miguel Indurain himself, etc) who have made history in the most watched cycling race on the planet:

"There are not so many great cycling nations, half a dozen, including France and Spain, that's why this award honours me so much."

"It's starting to be many years ago now, although less than us French."

"I pay a lot of attention because they are coming out very young now, as we see with Pablo Torres."

About Luis Ocaña:.

"Every great champion needs a Luis Ocaña to make him overcome, to find an opponent to suit him and who never, never gives up".

"My father was a doctor and in 1971 I remember that I was listening to the radio and I ran to announce to my father between two patients in his office: 'Ocaña has fallen'. Then I was afraid that because of that I wouldn't be able to cure any more patients."

About Miguel Indurain:.

"I came to the Tour as a journalist during his last participation, but I have seen him many times. He is a person of fabulous humility, always very kind. There is a lot of distance between the immense champion he is, with his enormous capacity to withstand pain on the bike and the affable, approachable character that you still find today."

On other cyclists such as Alberto Contador and his legacy in the Tour:.

"It's no coincidence." (referring to Oscar Pereiro's victory in 2006).

"I see a lot of Contador in Pogacar, that instinctive cycling, the generous cycling that sometimes triumphs."

On the relationship between the Tour and Spain:.

"For now we don't have any new candidacies. But neither is there any desire to rob the Vuelta a España of some emblematic sites like the Angliru."

"The Tour will always be close to Spain".

"The orange tide already has a particular place in the history of the Tour."