Alberto Contador finished today's stage in Tirreno-Adriatico without incident, after avoiding the danger of the last kilometres before the sprint.

“Yes, today was a day to stay away from any kind of mishaps and falls, because it was the last chance for the sprinters and everyone wanted to bet the maximum”, said the leader of Tinkoff-Saxo.

“I tried to be well placed till we reached the last 3 km and then I relaxed and I've gone a little backwards from the group because you have fear of a crash in the bunch, like when you are very close in GC”, said Contador.

Prior to tomorrow’s time trial, Contador said he intends to give everything.

“Yes, I'm a rider who always likes to give the maximum. This year I will not do a lot of time trials, but there will be an important one in the Tour de France, and any test you do to continue improving is important.”

About his probable overall victory, Contador said he values it highly.

“It's really important and it gives me a special pleasure, because I have never in my career managed to win Tirreno-Adriatico and is something that fills me with pride. It is also special for the way it has been won ... in the case, of course, that everything goes normally tomorrow”, he said.

This win is also important because it gives him confidence.

“It is a sign that the job I'm doing is paying off and I have to continue on the same line”, he said.

Contadr also recalled yesterday's big win.

“I was thinking of doing that attack and to go ahead," he explained. “But when I saw that there was a break with many minutes I never thought about winning the stage. When they said to me they were so close and that I was going to catch them, I also kept thinking about the general and only when I arrived at the wall I would try, but it was a secondary objective. In the end, I took the victory. Even if I had written the script myself, I wouldn't have done it any differently."

Finally, Contador had a word of appreciation for Steven de Jongh, a sports director at Tinkoff-Saxo and in charge of his training. “Yeah, I'm with him and I'm really happy with his work. We have a very good feeling and of course the work is paying off”, he said.

You can read our preview of the final stage here and follow our love coverage at 14.15 CET on CyclingQuotes.com/live.