No reason to doubt Froome, says Contador

Spain’s Alberto Contador rides in the pack during the 242.5 km fifteenth stage of the 100th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Givors and Mont Ventoux, southeastern France on Sunday. (AFP)

AFP/Paris

Alberto Contador saw his Tour de France chances suffer another crushing blow when he ceded 1min 40sec to Froome on Sunday’s 15th stage to fall 4min 25sec behind the British rider in the overall standings.

Froome’s stunning performances have been greeted with scepticism by some members of the public and media as memories of the Lance Armstrong scandal remain fresh in the minds of everyone. However, Contador for one believes that it is wrong to question the man who seems a certainty to win the 100th edition of the sport’s greatest race.

“There is no reason to doubt about Froome,” insisted the Spaniard at his rest-day press conference in Avignon in southern France.  “He is a professional rider who has been performing at a really high level all year, and I think that his results are the fruits of the work he puts in and nothing else. “I fully believe that he is clean. That is why the doping controls are there, isn’t it?” Contador knows only too well about doping controversies having served a two-year ban after testing positive for clenbuterol on the 2010 Tour de France.  He was also stripped of that year’s Tour title, leaving him with just two yellow jersey wins, to his name in 2007 and 2009, and remained edgy when it came to questions on the subject on Monday, even threatening to leave the press conference.

He insists his focus is on recovering for one last assault on Froome, even if he admits that he cannot realistically compete with the Team Sky man at the moment. “We came here to win but the leader is a level above everyone else. Face to face, at the moment he cannot be beaten,” he said.

“It is true that the last week will be very demanding and tactically there will be more opportunities open to me.” After today’s 16th stage to Gap and tomorrow’s individual time-trial, there will be three days in the high Alps, with climbs of L’Alpe d’Huez, the Col de la Madeleine, and Annecy Semnoz all on the menu.

Meanwhile French team Europcar have recieved a boost at the Tour de France after their main sponsor announced the extension of its current contract with the team. Uncertainty surrounded the future of Europcar, whose main stars are Thomas Voeckler and climbing specialist Pierre Rolland, with reports suggesting the car hire company was about to end its three-year deal without renewing.

Europcar announced Monday during the race’s second rest day in Avignon it would sponsor the team for a further two seasons, until the end of 2015. “After three seasons with the team run by Jean-Rene Bernaudeau, Europcar, a European leader in car hire, wishes to announce the renewal of its partnership for a further two years,” the team said in a statement.

“This agreement demonstrates our trust in the riders and in Jean-Rene.” Voeckler has on several occasions in the past enjoyed spells in the race’s yellow jersey, and he won two stages and the best climber’s polka dot jersey in 2012. He has endured a relatively low key campaign this time around. Rolland, who won two stages in 2012 and finished eighth overall, had been leading the climbers’ competition this campaign but that is now being led by overall leader Chris Froome following the Team Sky rider’s win atop Mont Ventoux on Sunday.