It seems a very long time ago that Alberto Contador was incurring the wrath of Oleg Tinkov as his bid to win the 2013 Tour de France faltered and ultimately failed.

Since then, El Pistolero has bounced back in stunning style – his 2014 season capped by Vuelta a Espana victory.

The form rider early in the season, Contador finished in the top two of every stage race he completed in 2014 – crashing out of the Tour de France the only blot on an A-grade copy book.

The warning shots were fired at Tirreno-Adriatico, where the brutally steep slopes of the Guardiagrele were no match for the Spaniard.

In Ordizia, at the Tour of the Basque Country, he was even more impressive as he prevailed in a game of cat-and-mouse with compatriot Alejandro Valverde. Appearing to be in trouble as Valverde pressed on the pedals, Contador responded with a blistering counter-attack which saw him lead the race overall from start to finish.

Having overcome a fractured leg sustained at the Tour to ride the Vuelta a Espana, Contador promptly annihilated his rivals there too, with his battles with Chris Froome likely to live long in the memory.

While neither could claim to be fully fit, Contador’s victory on the Puerto de Ancares – where he repeatedly fought off the Team Sky man with a stunning showcase of his climbing credentials – was a reminder of what had been missed at this year’s Tour.

Contador prevailed this time out but the prospect of the duo going head-to-head at full flight in 2015 is a mouth-watering one.

Alberto Contador in 2014

Stage wins: six
Grand Tour stage wins: Vuelta a Espana x2
GC wins in 2014: three (Tirreno-Adriatico, Tour of the Basque Country, Vuelta a Espana)
Champagne moment: Sealing the red jersey after victory on stage 20 of the Vuelta a Espana after a stage-long battle with Chris Froome.