Alberto Contador has returned from Africa after reaching the highest peak of his career, the top of Mount Kilimanjaro at 5895m, with 70 percent of the members of Tinkoff-Saxo who managed to climb the mountain after a hard walk during five days marked by a harsh weather.

“It was a new experience in which the whole team has been together, sharing good times and some really complicated times. The weather has not helped us, for the first three days it rained a lot and we did not have time to dry the clothes we wore, tents and sleeping bags," said Contador. “More than the physical exertion and the altitude as until then we didn't pass 3800m, the worst of the first days was the rain."

“Of course, the real test was the climb to the summit on the last day," continued the leader of Tinkoff-Saxo. “We went from the last camp, located at 4,600 meters, to Uhuru Peak at 5.895 m, the highest point of Kilimanjaro. That day we got up at half past eleven p.m. to reach the summit at sunrise. Three hours earlier we went to sleep for a few hours but it was snowing a little and the was an impressive wind. It was hard to think about the climbing but luckily the wind gave us a little respite when we got up and we decided to try."

Contador wanted to climb such a high mountain.

“It was a new challenge for me because I didn't know my body's response to altitude, but the sensations I had were pretty good. Only by passing the 5400m mark, I noticed some discomfort in the stomach that quickly disappeared, which kept me going at a good pace until I reached the top."

The entire group of Tinkoff-Saxo, with nearly 80 people including riders and technical staff, were organized in small groups, always accompanied by guides to avoid getting lost in the many mountain trails.

“In my case I went together Valgren, Kiserlovski and a guide,” recalls Contador. “We had difficult moments. Although I was lucky that the altitude did not affect me, there were teammates who felt bad and had to turn around. Others needed help to get to the summit and there were others that did not remember anything that had happened when they returned to the camp. That was partly the aim of this expedition, to face situations that involved union and fellowship, and I think we have achieved it although it was not easy."

For Alberto Contador and the rest of the members of Tinkoff-Saxo, the expedition to Kilimanjaro “was a pretty good experience that marks the start of the 2015 season, probably the most challenging of my career with the dual objective of the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France. Now I have to recover from this trip and focus on my own task which is to ride my bike," concluded the latest winner of the Vuelta a España.