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Contador, Astana at impasse in contract talks

By Charles Pelkey • Updated: Aug 12th 2010 5:16 PM EDT

Alberto Contador in Pinto, Spain, on Monday

Contador in his home village of Pinto, Spain, on Monday

Contract talks between Alberto Contador and the Astana team appear to have stalled Wednesday after the three-time Tour winner rejected the team’s insistence that he quickly commit to an agreement for next season.

In a press release Contador said that while both sides were not far apart on key issues, he needed more time to weigh the offer “given the importance of this decision.”

“The team wanted to know right away whether or not (Contador) would ride for Astana next season,” the release noted. Contador said that the demand was unreasonable and he rejected the deadline.

After winning the 2009 Tour, Contador had very publicly said that he was looking for a way out the final year of his contract with Astana, but eventually reached an agreement with the team. Before this year’s Tour, Contador’s brother Fran, who acts as the rider’s agent, said that he was now quite happy at Astana and was likely to extend his contract for another two or three years.

Contador joined Astana in 2008 after moving to the team with manager Johan Bruyneel and several other members of the squad after the sponsorship of the old Discovery Channel team expired at the end of 2007, the year he won his first Tour.

Since riding for Astana, he’s won two Tours de France (2009 and ’10), and doubled up by winning the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España in 2008. Contador said that after winning the Tour this week, he wanted to “have time to calmly explore all possibilities” available to him.

Among those possibilities is the option to join Bjarne Riis’ team in 2011. Riis has recently announced that the team – currently sponsored by Saxo Bank, which is leaving at season’s end – has secured a new sponsor for the coming year. The Saxo team’s top GC contenders, brothers Frank and Andy Schleck, are expected to leave and join a new outfit being formed in their native Luxembourg.

Astana, meanwhile, has hedged its bets, making overtures to Russian Denis Menchov, who finished third in this year’s Tour. Menchov’s contract with Rabobank is set to expire at the end of the season and is also being recruited by the Russian Katusha team.

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  • FortitudineVincimus
    Smith & Wesson are so enamored with the "pistol shot", they want to start a new team with Contador
  • piktor
    "Contador signed a two-year personal sponsorship agreement with Specialized last season. The American bike company is likely to take on a co-sponsorship of Bjarne Riis' Saxo Bank team and bring along Contador as the new leader."- velonation, July 29.

  • MeloVelo
    Looks like riders are adopting a national team model.
  • professorvelo
    one thing to consider (although utterly unsupported by fact or first-hand knowledge) is that almost everyone feels more comfortable amongst their countrymen. while AC has a strong team with astana, I'm sure he would feel more at ease with a spanish-speaking or western european team. he may be about winning, but another season of koy-bas and besh barmak?
  • countdown
    I have not read through all the commetns but wasn't AC going to put together a spainn based team and wasn't there a spainish race car driver supposedly involved somehow?
  • The_Senator
    These are some good comments. Thanks everyone!
  • I don't think that's about the colors. They put pressure on Alberto to sign at once and that was a mistake. There are too many people in the team management who shouldn't be there. For example Nicolai Proskurin (Secretary of Defense). He thinks that he always has to add his two cents to everything without being an expert. Let's be realistic. Kasakhstan isn't a democratic country and they still have to learn a lot. They feared that Alberto could change his mind because a champion has the freedom of choice but by putting pressure on him (the Pro Tour Licence will expire next month) they got what they were most afraid of. It will take time for a country like Kasakhstan to learn what freedom is. I think that Vino can understand Alberto's dicision as he lives already a long time in France. But I'm almost sure that he couldn't do anything because he has family and friends in Kasakhstan and maybe he would only have the option to stay abroad. -- It's sad.
  • jimsanta
    Karen has made a great comment here! I'm sure Alberto feels some strong attachment for the riders who really exceeded all expectations in the way they came through for him in the mountains this year, but he knows that a great part of LA's seven year reign was the overall strength of the organization he built up around him. Alberto, on the other hand, had to learn to win after being stabbed in the back by both Johan and Lance last year. Still at the age LA was when he had only started his reign, Alberto owes it to himself to look for a team situation with the long term support and stability that will insure his future success, just as Lance had. And if he takes some of those heroic teammates with him, more power to him! And to anyone who disagrees with that, where were you with the same criticism when LA took practically the entire Astana team, director and all, with him to team radio shack?!? I don't remember seeing ANY criticism of Lance at that time!
  • herbgirl
    Okay, so Contador has an offer from Astana - which team actually served him quite well this past Tour. On the other hand, the stated purpose of Astana, their "mission" if you will, is to put a Kazahk rider on the podium of TdF. That being said, I can understand why AC might seek another venue. I hope he scores a great team. I hope the Schlecks put together an equally awsome orgaization so that we get to see the best racing possible!
  • As for which team AC will be riding next year in the VN poll?

    Answer: Vacansoleil

    :D
  • bbbici
    Poor Cadel Evans can't even get on a good team, and here is Contador walking away from one.
  • edgardo_c
    Absolutely! And Cadel does deserve a strong team.
  • fatguyoncouch
    NEWS FLASH NEWS FLASH!!!! Levi is attacking!!!! finally...as always he is great on the fourth week of the tour!!!!! Ha...then again he makes more money than me riding a bike ...so I better be quiet....I better stop eating cheetos.....
  • fatguyoncouch
    wait, Cycling news reported that Astana already terminated any negotiantions with Contador and wished him well. Which is the story? the talks stalled or is the guy out? just curious as to the accuracy of the reporting.
  • piktor
    I would bet on Caisse d’Epargne. Athough team sponsor is a French bank, the team is based in Spain, run by Spaniards. It is the team of Spanish great Miguel Indurain.
  • davejesq
    Caisse d'Epargne is done. Lost their sponsor. Unzue couldn't find a sponsor for arguably one of the three strongest teams in cycling. Tough times.
  • piktor
    Unzue is closing shop? I would still bet Contador will look for a Spanish outfit. He is one of Spain's top athletes.
  • edgardo_c
    Also Spains recent enormous success in Sports has made competition for sponsoring much harder. I'm sorry for Unzue's highly competitive and always entertaining team.
  • where ever Alberto lands... he will win the 2011 TdF
  • Contador is HAWT!
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