The form rider of the WorldTour peloton, Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) was in scintillating touch as he won Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of the Basque Country either side of second place in Catalunya. His performances saw him surge to the top of the WorldTour rankings, prior to Nairo Quintana’s Giro d’Italia win, and the Spaniard can reclaim first place with a strong showing in Dauphine.
Contador, who also finished second in the Volta ao Algarve, has recaptured the climbing form which saw him blast to multiple Grand Tour victories. Victories on the Alto do Malhao, Cittareale, Guardiagrele and in Ordizia have proved he is back to his best and after an intense block of training, El Pistolero will be out to score a pre-Tour victory over Chris Froome (Team Sky). He has been untouchable on some fierce climbs already this season, and the Dauphine course will certainly be to his liking.
