ALBERTO CONTADOR PREVIEWS THE GIRO D'ITALIA

Who do you think are the favourites for the GC?

“It is difficult to respond. This year's participation is different and a consequence of the crazy calendar we are living. Even so there are great contenders like Simon Yates, Fuglsang or Nibali. Vincenzo [Nibali] is one of the main favourites because of his experience. There is also Miguel Ángel López who has recovered from the Tour de France, or Geraint Thomas.”

Which riders do you think will surprise viewers?:

“[Aleksandr] Vlasov from Astana can do great things after finishing the Giro di Lombardia in third place. I also think that there are many cyclists who can give surprises this year because it is a Giro that is especially open due to the number of races on a calendar of real madness.”

Do you think the home favourites such as Nibali and Ganna will live up to the expectation?

“Ganna for sure. He has recently shown at the World Championship what he is capable of. As for Nibali, he is a cyclist who always does well and has a good chance of winning this year. He has a lot of experience and knows what it takes to succeed. The weather will also be very important and even more so this year because of the dates.”

This Giro has about 65 kilometres of time trial. In Tirreno-Adriático, Simon Yates lost 20 seconds to Geraint Thomas in just 10 kilometres of a time trial. Could so many kilometres of time trial hurt Yates?

“It is true that there are many kilometres against the clock and this influences the race, but what defines the Giro is the mountain and it is there that you will see who is going to win.”

Do you believe that the quality already shown by Giulio Ciccone could lead to a change in the leadership of Trek–Segafredo? Or should Nibali, at 35, still be the undisputed leader?

“From experience and results, Nibali must remain the team leader. I believe that this also benefits Ciccone because he can compete with less pressure and continue to grow as a professional because he has tremendous potential. Nibali can give more guarantees to fight for the general classification.”

Taking no clear leader for the general classification, what will be Movistar's goals for this Giro?

“It is a team that thinks in partial stages and in seeing how the cyclists are competing. They will focus above all on stage victories."

With the squad selection, it is difficult to predict that any team will totally dominate the race, not even INEOS or Jumbo. Can this Giro become more ‘individual’ than the Tour? Will there be less team power?

“The way cycling is organised today, I don't think it will change much. It's true that if the teams are less powerful, the possibility of individual performances increases and we will be able to see great moments, but I don't think we will be able to see too many differences.”

What do you expect from Rafał Majka in the Giro – can he fight for 1st place in the GC?

“He is a cyclist who knows what it is like to do great results in major races and only needs to know how to master a 21-stage race."

Giro d’Italia seems to be the best Grand Tour for Majka. Do you think this race suits him more than other Grand Tours?

“Absolutely. The Giro is the race of the three Grand Tours that benefits him the most and best combines his qualities.”

Peter Sagan will ride his first Giro. Can you guess how he will do after the demanding Tour where he didn´t gain the green jersey or a stage win?

“I'm sure he will have a good run. It's true that he must be devastated after a very hard Tour de France. He's got plenty of motivation to do great things in this year's Giro.”

Which part of this Giro are you looking forward to the most?

“The Stelvio area is always very attractive. But the weather is very important and it is very cold in that area so I do not know if it will be possible to celebrate in conditions. There are other options that can be interesting in the case of problems like the Mortirolo which are always beautiful and decisive stages.”

What is your best memory of the Giro you took part in?

“I would say that of all the good memories I have, I choose the Giro 2008. The Italian fans received me with much appreciation and joy and that became reciprocal."

This year both Tour de France and Giro have mountain stage in the beginning. It is attractive for fans, but what about the riders?

“It is also good for the cyclists because it prevents falls and dropouts of the main favourites in the early stages of the race.”

How do you assess Jakob Fuglsang's chances of winning the Giro?

“He has a lot of possibilities because he has enormous quality. He has grown a lot with victories in big competitions like the Dauphiné and is a major candidate to win.”

Where should Fuglsang attack and what strategy should Astana use if they are to challenge Thomas and INEOS?

“In all those mountain stages that have a higher percentage of slope, without a doubt. The rest of the team is always looking to work for the leader so whenever there are opportunities, and there are more in the Giro in the mountains, you have to take risks and try to break the race."

Why is Fuglsang performing so well late in his career?

“It was a surprise for everyone. But it is true that it depends on the preparation he has made during all these years. It is an atypical case, but many things can influence it to finally be that way and he has this very impressive performance right now.”

What do you think of the Norwegian rider Carl Fredrik Hagen of Lotto Soudal? What are his chances?

“He's a cyclist who has yet to grow and gain experience, but he's sure to have great moments in very important stages of the Giro.”