Alberto Contador narrowly avoided a crash in today's stage of the Vuelta a Espana and now goes into the final big mountain stage with an advantage of 1.19 over Chris Froome. The Spaniard expects the Brit to attack and will do his utmost to follow his wheel.

The captain of Tinkoff-Saxo, Alberto Contador, got through the stage safely and is now ready to take on the remaining two stages that will decide this year’s Vuelta a España. After the stage, the Spanish rider commented:
 
“It was a difficult day with a very fast pace in the final part. I had to be well positioned on the final short climb because we knew that it was a difficult descent, where the risk of crashes was high. I was very lucky to avoid being dragged down by Dario Cataldo’s crash. I don’t know how I did it, but I'm happy that I got through the day without any problems and I'm already thinking about tomorrow."

"Today took some energy out of us but that’s the way it is every day. It was important to maintain a good position. There was an incredible crash in the downhill. It was a very nervous finish. Plus, there was no team able to control for the sprinters.

"I dropped back a little in the last kilometer to avoid a crash. Sometimes we take it easier under the rain but we were riding full gas in the downhill. I don’t know how I managed to change of trajectory and avoid crashing."
 
Tomorrow the riders of Vuelta a España will have to take on the final mountain stage featuring the dreaded climb to Ancares, which will very likely determine the outcome of the race.
 
“Tomorrow will be a very demanding day, where especially Froome will try to take time on me. I have to see how the race unfolds and hope my legs are good enough to protect the lead”, said Alberto Contador.

"If you had told me I’d be in this position I wouldn’t have believed it. We still have a very hard stage ahead of us with a very strong rival. I sleep well. I put some TV show on the computer and I watch 2 or 3 episodes."

Contador explained that he's familiar with Ancares from the Vuelta 2012, where he finished 2nd on the climb.
 
“This year the climb is slightly longer. It is really hard and I'm sure this mountain will create time differences. On a 12 km climb with an 8.7% incline, 1:19 is not enough time if you have a bad day, but it’s of course better that I have the advantage. I need to have confidence in myself and we'll see what happens tomorrow”, said Contador.
 
As for the strategy, Contador will wait to see how the race unfolds although he thinks that "Froome is the most dangerous. I don’t think that it will be bad if there’s an attack on the penultimate climb. I have to follow his wheel if I have the legs and I think it shouldn’t be too problematic. It’s true that Froome is strong, each day he’s getting better and his attack will be strong.

"We saluted each other at the hotel. We have a very good relationship. On the road, we’re all rivals. With him, we share a mutual admiration. That’s a good thing. I can only thank the fans. Every stage brings an incredible tribute. I have a debt towards them."

“Today's stage was a copy of the last few stages," Matteo Tossato said. "A very fast start, then a breakaway while we did a good job trying to be in front before the climbs. Another stage is over and now we have only two to go.

"The 19 stages covered so far have been exhaustive but we have been helped by the good weather. Something that in my opinion is very important. We have shown excellent team work and that helps you go through even the toughest stages.”

“I think it was a good day for us without any problems," sports director Steven De Jongh said. "Once again, the start of the stage was very fast. After that, a group went away and Giant-Shimano took control, trying to win the stage with Degenkolb. At the end, Adam Hansen attacked and got a well-deserved victory.

"For Tinkoff-Saxo it was a good ride. On the climb we were where we wanted to be. We suffered no crashes and I really hope Cataldo is doing fine. Now it is all up for tomorrow.”