 Contador says he wants to save strength for the Tour de France
Alberto Contador showed he is in good form as he prepares to defend his Tour de France crown by winning the prologue of the Criterium du Dauphine on Sunday. The Spaniard kicked off the week-long race for the Astana team by powering through the 6.8km two seconds faster than American Tejay Van Garderen. Britain's Team Sky rider Geraint Thomas was fourth, 10 seconds adrift; David Millar finished 13th, 15 seconds back. Lance Armstrong, meanwhile, finished third in the Tour of Luxembourg. The seven-time Tour de France champion, who used to compete in the Dauphine as part of his Tour build-up, saw Italian Matteo Carrara take the overall honours, with Frank Schleck of Luxembourg second.  | To win the Dauphine requires a big effort and I want to keep strength for the Tour |
But Armstrong, 38, was happy enough with his efforts after being forced to withdraw from the recent Tour of California following a crash. Organisers had stopped timing with some 10 kms remaining on Sunday after torrential rain and storms disrupted the final stage. "It's been a good four days. I felt strong," said Armstrong, who will step up his Tour de France preparations by competing in the more demanding Tour of Switzerland next week (12-20 June), a race he has not competed in since winning it in 2001. "There are longer climbs, longer time trials," he added. "I think we have to make a good progression from here, to Switzerland and the Tour." | 606: DEBATE |
Contador played down his own chances on the eve of the Dauphine, insisting he would not target overall victory as he builds up to his Tour defence. But the Astana team leader clocked eight minutes and 34 seconds to beat off Van Garderen of Team Columbia and Slovenia's Janez Brajkovic, a team-mate of Armstrong in the RadioShack crew. "It's unbelievable to win here but it has nothing to do with lakes," said Contador, who won the final time trial of the 2009 Tour in a similar setting in Annecy. "I feel it was perfect training with the new bike. The descent was very technical but I rode well." Monday's 191-km first stage to St Laurent du Pont is a bumpy ride but may also suit sprinters. Contador added: "I came here to get ahead with my preparation for the Tour and [on Monday] I will hand my yellow jersey to somebody else. "The Dauphine is a very hard race with a demanding course towards the end. To win it requires a big effort and I want to keep strength for the Tour."
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