He may have missed out on stage victory, but Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) is still, it would seem, in supreme form. The only rider close to catching Joaquim Rodriguez after his compatriot’s late acceleration, Contador rolled in second to follow his two stage wins and overall triumph at Tirreno-Adriatico. El Pistolero has much to prove in 2014 after a disappointing campaign last time out, but he is continuing to show the sort of form which has seen him revered as arguably the finest Grand Tour rider of this generation.
The Spaniard looks like a man on a mission so far this season, his climbing legs fully restored and his Tinkoff-Saxo team-mates rallying around their leader with some big shifts. His tactical nous has also been apparent in Catalonia so far, staying safe at the front of the bunch, and even leading the peloton into the final kilometre of stage two to ensure he was out of trouble as the frantic sprint trains formed on the road furniture-laden roads. If Chris Froome (Team Sky) thought he had knocked Contador out with his Tour de France victory last year, he is going to have to think again.
