The general manager Bjarne Riis and the owner Oleg Tinkov announced this week that they would cease working together, by "mutual agreement". But this change may be embarrasing for Alberto Contador who wants to win the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France. Indeed, Riis was his mentor and confidante.

El Pistolero told the Spanish wire service EFE. “I’ve seen that they’ve reached a mutual agreement, but I don’t know how that unfolded. [Riis] has been a very important person in my career, and even though he won’t continue, my relation with him will remain excellent.”

Now, the Spanish rider stays focus on his main goals. “A lot of people don’t believe it’s possible, but I don’t believe that’s the case,” Contador said. “I am going to try it because I believe that things remain impossible until someone achieves it, and that’s my challenge for the season. I’ve also delayed my season a bit, and I believe that things are going in the right direction, and I hope that within 40 days, when I will be at the Giro, that the legs are where I want them to be,” he continued. “[The 33 days between the Giro and Tour] are not very many to recover, especially after the effort one has to make during three weeks in a race as hard as the Giro, so we’ll see in what conditions I can arrive to the Tour.”