Alberto Contador will kick off on Monday the Vuelta al Pais Vasco, the fourth and final race he had scheduled for the first part of the season.

Tinkoff's leader heads to the race "eager and excited. The Vuelta al Pais Vasco is a race that I like a lot and in which I usually perform quite well," he explains. "We have to see how the legs respond, because after Catalunya I focused myself on resting, as the effort is already becoming noticeable. This is the last race I do before the break that will precede my preparation for the Tour de France."
 
In what regards the race, Contador expects it to be "very tough, because all days are very, very demanding and we must be attentive." He adds the factor of the weather, as the forecast calls for a rainy week. "In the Basque Country it always is an important factor," he says, although he believes that in what concerns the way the race plays out, the rivals will be a key. "Above all we must take into account the rivals. It is a very close race and the level is very high, although the weather will play an important role, because they are stages that go up and down, and if the weather is bad, it will be even tougher."

It will be difficult to single out the favourites, states  Alberto Contador.

"I would give many names and I will surely leave out some of them. Many of the riders that were in the Volta a Catalunya, are favourites, such as Quintana, Purito, Daniel Martin or Aru, and riders that come fresher, like Pinot, who is very strong, or Henao. The truth is that the pool of favourites is vast and this race is also very difficult to control. There may be riders that might not be among the favourites but could create a surprise."
 
Finally, Contador feels confident about his team-mates that will make up the Tinkoff squad in this race, despite the fact there have been last-minute changes.

"I have a great team with a lot of experience," he explains, "but it's true that due to injury and illness we had to change three riders that were initially scheduled. At this time of year this happens many times, but I will still have a great team alongside me and we are all very motivated," concludes Contador.