August 2017: Alberto Contador, 34, to retire from professional cycling.
Alberto Contador has officially decided to retire from his pro cycling career leaving a true legacy behind. He is one of the six riders to have ever won all three Grand Tours and will now no longer be present to give us his great performances.
The other five to have ever won all the three Grand Tours are:
Only Eddy Merckx
Jacques Anquetil
Felice Gimondi
Vincenzo Nibali
Bernard Hinault
Meet us in the middle
The last event Contador is expected to participate in is Vuelta a Espana which will start on August 19. He has been speculated to end his career since 2016 but it was an unhappy spell riding for Tinkoff which made him hang for another harsh season.
Two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador is to retire from professional cycling in August.
More: https://t.co/hRoOmeU5au pic.twitter.com/JdfEdmssLG
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 7, 2017
On the other hand, many speculated Contador will continue riding until 2018 before he posted on Instagram a video in which he stated the Vuelta a Espana to be “my last professional race. I say that with joy, without the slightest sadness. It’s a decision that I come to after mature reflection and I don’t think there can be a better way to say goodbye than at a race in your own country.”
Contador turned professional in 2003 and a lot has happened since then making him one of the best riders in the cycling history. However, he has had his lows as well, one of them being the time when he was banned for testing positive for clenbuterol at the 2010’s Tour de France, an element Contador claimed to have received from a contaminated steak.
In total, Alberto Contador has won seven Grand Tour titles. He has even won the famous and prestigious Velo d’Or award for four times.
