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Alberto Contador

Key Stats

Team: Astana
Nationality: Spanish
Born: December 6, 1982
Hometown: Madrid, Spain
Residence: Madrid, Spain
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 140 pounds
Strengths: climbing, time trialing, stage racing

Palmares

Career Highlights:

1st overall, Tour de France 2007
1st overall, Giro d'Italia 2008
1st overall, Paris-Nice 2007
1st overall, Vuelta a Castilla y León 2007
1st overall, Setmana Catalana 2005

2009
1st, stage 1 and stage 6, Paris-Nice
1st overall, 1 stage win, Volta au Algarve
2nd overall, Vuelta Castilla y Leon
1st overall, Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco (Tour of the Basque Country), 2 stage wins

2008
1st overall, Giro d'Italia
1st overall, Vuelta a Castilla y León, 2 stage wins
1st overall, Pais Vasco (Tour of the Basque Country), 2 stage wins

2007
1st overall, Vuelta a Castilla y León (plus stage 4)
1st overall, Paris-Nice (plus stages 4 and 7)
1st overall, Tour de France (plus stage 14)
1st, stage 4, Vuelta a la Comunidad Valenciana

2006
1st, stage 8, Tour de Suisse
1st, stage 3, Tour de Romandie
2nd overall, Tour de Romandie
5th overall, Vuelta al País Vasco

2005
1st, stage 6, Vuelta al País Vasco
1st, stage 5, Tour Down Under
1st overall, combination classification, Setmana Catalana (plus stage 3)
1st, stage 4, Tour de Romandie
3rd, best young rider, Tour de France (31st overall)
4th overall, Tour de Romandie

2004
1st, mountains competition, Vuelta a Aragon
5th overall, Setmana Catalana

2003
1st, stage 8, Tour of Poland
4th overall, Vuelta a Castilla y León

Biography

Although Spanish fans had been watching his progress, Contador stunned the international cycling scene in 2007, taking the overall at the Vuelta a Castilla y León and Paris-Nice before jumping into the yellow at the Tour de France. Years before, however, he had even more drama in his life. In 2004 he crashed and went into convulsions at the Vuelta a Asturias. Brain surgery was required to remove a blood clot.