Contador, Tour de France 2009, stage 19

Alberto Contador has opted out of riding the road World Championships later this month, citing a lack of racing form since winning the Tour de France in July.

The Astana rider doesn't want to be in Mendrisio, Switzerland, for the Worlds (September 27) in poor shape just to make up the numbers for Spain and would rather his place go to a compatriot who has the form to do well.

"After looking back at my season, and given the fact that I haven't competed since the Tour de France, we have decided it was better to give up my place to someone else," Contador said via a statement issued on Thursday.

Contador had already opted out of riding his home tour this month, the Vuelta a Espana - he won the race last year. It is now likely that he will have a quiet end of season and concentrate on finding a new squad to support him in next year's Tour de France.

Contador speaks about this year's Tour de France and the problems he experienced within the Astana team in the latest issue of Cycle Sport magazine, out now.

Related links

Vuelta a Espana 2009: Cycling Weekly's full coverage

Alberto Contador: Rider Profile

Contador tops UCI World Ranking

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Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.