Alberto Contador Announces Retirement from Cycling

Alberto Contador will retire next month after riding in the Spanish Vuelta, marking the end of a storied career.

The 34-year-old Contador announced his plan to stop racing on a video posted Monday on Instagram.

Contador said the Vuelta “will be my last race as a professional cyclist.”

He chose to retire at home, in his native Spain, where he has enjoyed immense success.

The three-week Vuelta starts August 19.

Contador has been one of the sport’s top riders for the last decade, accumulating 7 Grand Tour titles.

He won the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009, and the Giro d’Italia twice.

Only five other riders have ever won the three Grand Tours.

Contador will ride for Trek-Segafredo this season, his final one as a professional.

He was stripped of a third Tour title from 2010 and banned for two years for doping in 2012.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport rejected Contador’s claim that his positive test for clenbuterol was caused by eating contaminated meat.

Contador is second only to five-time Tour winner **Miguel Indurain** in Spanish cycling lore.

He has won the Spanish Vuelta three times.

As of 2017, Contador had 7 Grand Tour titles under his belt.

And his retirement marks the end of an era in Spanish cycling.

But his legacy will live on, with many considering him one of the greatest cyclists of all time.

So the Spanish Vuelta will be an emotional farewell for Contador.

The event will take place from August 19 to September 10.