Alberto Contador – “I eventually achieved my goal...”

“This Tour was very difficult. Before coming here I wanted to be prepared both physically and mentally because I knew it would be extremely tough. I was in a strange situation; each day I told myself it was one day less. Now that we’ve almost reached the finish the situation is normal and I’m content with that. I started focusing on the Tour very early in the season and that made a big difference. Also, the fact that I was the favorite also changed things and made it more difficult and so I’m even more pleased to win.
“This victory is very important physically because I needed the legs and I showed that I could be present every day. It was also very tough mentally. I showed that I was ready to cope with both aspects. In the end, things worked out well for me.
“The 2007 and 2009 Tours were both very difficult races but in 2007 I made the difference in the final time trial and the title was decided then; this year I had a bigger advantage – 2009 was difficult physically and mentally, but 2007 was just difficult physically.
“The situation for the preparation [taking into account the presence of Armstrong at Astana] was rather tricky. I had elements against me but I worked on that and built on it. And I eventually achieved my goal.
“I didn’t want to consider what the future holds until the end of the Tour. One thing is for sure: I’ll be on a different project to Lance Armstrong. I have different options. Maybe there’ll be a team built around me but there are different opportunities and it’s too early to say what I’ll do in 2010.
“When Lance came back to cycling, I’d already signed my contract [with Astana] and didn’t know that Armstrong would return. It’s a pity to part now but maybe in the future we will meet again. During the Tour the situation didn’t actually change too much; it just depended on if [Lance] felt good and things turned around in his favor when he was feeling good. It was tough to cope with because we both wanted to win the title and that just doesn’t work when two guys on one squad want the same thing. But I prepared for that and I prepared for a difficult Tour and it paid off. Armstrong will be a dangerous rival in the future. He already proved that and he will again be a clear candidate for an overall victory next year, especially after what he showed during this edition. When you win an event, you like to have great champions by your side. And the photo in Paris will be historical.
“I’m not really concerned by records, I just want to enjoy every year as a cyclist. Maybe I’ll focus on other races: the Giro, the Classics, the Vuelta… but for sure the main goal will remain the Tour de France without forgetting some other events.
“Andy [Schleck] really made me suffer a lot. He didn’t make any mistakes. I made the difference in the time trials – even in the short opening stage in Monaco – but he really rode intelligently.
“It’s great to end a Tour without any doping scandals. There are more controls, there is more money invested in testing and that’s very important. This is a great victory for cycling.”