Alberto Contador no sure start for Tour de France after Giro win

ALBERTO Contador promptly voiced doubts about his plans for the Tour de France after claiming his second Giro d'Italia last night.

Alberto Contador

ALBERTO Contador promptly voiced doubts about his plans for the Tour de France after claiming his second Giro d'Italia last night.

The Spaniard, riding for the Saxo Bank team, won the title as Scotland's David Millar won the final stage time trial in Milan.

But 28-year-old Contador, entering the Giro in the shadow of a doping controversy from last year's Tour de France, refused to even confirm if he would try to compete in the event in 2011 following the Italian win.

"The Tour? We shall have to see... how I am going to recuperate, evaluate the extent to which I have recuperated. I have to speak about it with my sporting director and my team," Contador said.

"Right now I am tired and I would like to profit from my victory."

Contador would be chasing his fourth Tour de France title if he does compete and could become the first man to complete a Giro-Tour double since the late Italian rider Marco Pantani in 1998.

For now Contador can bask in the moment, even though he could yet have his aura punctured if the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) finds against him in his doping saga.

The case was due to be heard over three days in Lausanne from June 6-8 in order to have the decision before the start of this year's Tour de France on July 2.

But CAS announced last Thursday that it had postponed the hearing indefinitely to allow further preparation and to help guarantee the appearance of witnesses and experts.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and world cycling's governing body (UCI) are appealing the Spanish Cycling Federation's (RFEC) decision to acquit Contador over a failed doping case.

Contador, who placed third on the final stage into Milan, tested positive for a tiny amount of the banned muscle-building substance clenbuterol during last July's Tour, which he went on to win.

He was cleared to compete when the RFEC rescinded an initial decision of a one-year competition ban, accepting the rider's claim that he had unknowingly consumed drug-contaminated meat and was therefore not negligent.

Despite the complex legal wrangle, Contador has not let the issue affect his racing and appears to be in the form of his life, shrugging off allcomers in a particularly tough mountainous edition of the Giro that had eight stages finish at altitude.

he said this Italian win was "completely different" to his first in 2008.

"Three years ago I didn't want to come - it was my team which insisted on it. I thought I'd do a week but then the results started coming and I stayed on," he said.

"This time I prepared the race mentally and physically.

"This is my best Giro. It seems an easy victory - but it isn't - it required a lot of work."

Home racer Michele Scarponi took second place overall, more than five minutes behind Contador. Another Italian, Vincenzo Nibali, was third overall.

Once he finished first on the slopes of Mount Etna in the ninth stage to don the pink jersey Contador never looked back as he succeeded last year's Italian champion Ivan Basso, who did not participate this time.

Millar at least had the consolation of signing off with a win as he edged Denmark's Alex Rasmussen of HTC by seven seconds to win in 30min 13sec.