"Hello everybody, much to my regret I cannot be at the Nationals tomorrow due for health reasons. I hope you will have a good race." That's how Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) has announced his absence from the Spanish Championships which will take place on Saturday in the Alicante town of Cocentaina.

Contador had announced his return to the Championships, "thinking of doing a long one-day before the Olympics although they ar not comparable." TheTinkoff leader last did the race in 2011 when only Jose Joaquin Rojas could beat him, a result which was later deleted due to his suspension. That was his last appearance. He won the time trial in 2009.

The demanding course was to be his last test before the Tour de France and climbs to be repeated during the six laps on a circuit of 32.3 kilometers, 193.8km in total. The profile is a continuous up and down. The greatest difficulty are three ascent: the first of about three kilometers just outside Cocentaina; a 5km climb at the midpoint and a 1.2km hill two kilometers from the finish line. The finale is also uphill.

Joaquim Rodriguez and Mikel Landa are still expected to do the race where they face the formidable Movistar block, Caja Rural and the smaller Euskadi-Murias and Burgos BH teams.