Alberto Contador – “The important thing is to be strong...”

“It was a very tough stage and I’m pleased with what I’ve been able to achieve but I really thought, for a while, that it would have been possible to stay ahead of Rasmussen and Valverde so it’s a little bit frustrating that we were caught in the run-in to Briancon but it’s hard for two men to stay ahead of a group of 15. _ “I knew it would be hard to stay away for 40km but we made it to the final climb. [Yaroslav] Popovych did an exceptional job but we just couldn’t make it. Let’s hope that we do better another day. But the most important thing is to be strong and put on a good show. _ “The circumstances haven’t been great. We attacked with a long way to go and it was always going to be a monster job to stay ahead. But we made the best of the situation. Today it didn’t come off but another day I’m confident that it will.”