Alberto Contador can lay claim to being the greatest Grand Tour rider of this generation, and among the best ever, with seven wins to his name and two more stripped from the record after his positive test for clenbuterol.

Those seven wins include the last two Grand Tours to have been raced – the 2014 Vuelta a Espana and the 2015 Giro d’Italia, meaning victory will make his reigning champion of all three – an unprecedented feat.

The Giro-Tour double has been his prime aim for the 2015 season and Contador earned the first part of that in stunning style, defying a dislocated shoulder to claim victory.

His masterclass on the Mortirolo was Contador at his very best, and while he lost time in the final mountain stages he had built up such a commanding lead it was not an issue.

Some would even say he was simply saving himself, knowing he had another three-week Grand Tour on the horizon, and his Route du Sud victory certainly suggests he is still in top form.

The one thing counting against Contador is that none of the other main GC contenders raced the Giro, and if they can exploit any tiredness in the final week his chances could be over.

Should he stay strong – and should his team do so too, given several of them also raced the Giro – he has proved time and again he is the man to beat.

And having recovered from a broken leg to win the Vuelta and fought off a dislocated shoulder at the Giro, what’s a little lactic acid going to do?

Tinkoff-Saxo squad: CONTADOR, Basso, Sagan, Rogers, Majka, Bennati, Kreuziger, Valgren, Tosatto.

Form guide

Best Tour de France result: Winner (2007, 2009)
Tour de France stage wins: three (2007, 2009)
Other Grand Tour highlights: Giro d’Italia – winner (2008, 2015); Vuelta a Espana – winner (2008, 2012, 2014), five stage wins (2008, 2012, 2014).
2015 highlights: Ruta del Sol (stage win, second overall), Tirreno-Adriatico (fifth overall), Volta a Catalunya (fourth overall), Giro d’Italia (winner), Route du Sud (winner, one stage win).
UCI WorldTour ranking: 2^nd