Contador to race Danish crit; but Colorado and the rest of season up in air

Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) will ride a criterium in the hometown of Bjarne Riis on August 12, but whether he’ll race again this season remains up in the air.

Officials close to Contador said the Handelsbanken criterium is the only date “confirmed” on Contador’s racing schedule.

Contador has already said he would not race the Vuelta a España or the world championships, but there is some hope that Contador could participate in the inaugural Colorado tour later this month.

Saxo Bank-Sungard team officials could not be reached Thursday, but the team is confirmed to race in the Colorado tour. So far, no official roster has been released by the team for the Colorado race that is already drawing an elite field, with the entire Tour de France podium set to start.

Contador has hinted that he would not race again this season, but said he is looking forward to lining up for the crit in Denmark later this month.

“I am looking forward to getting back to Herning,” Contador said on the team’s website. “I heard from Bjarne that Herning has been chosen to host the start of the Giro next year, which makes this event even more interesting. Even though I will do my best, no one should expect me to win as I know from last year’s visit, the course is flat, which obviously isn’t my speciality.”

In other Saxo Bank-SunGard news, the team announced the arrival of Israeli stagiaiare Ran Margaliot for the remainder of the season. The 23-year-old rode for Footon-Servetto last year.

“It’s a huge honor for me to enter one of the best cycling teams in the world with a champion like Bjarne Riis as a leader,” Margaliot said on the team site. “Undoubtedly, I’m going to take this opportunity to learn from him and I’m looking forward to discovering my full potential. It’s great to know that it’s really possible to make this step especially because there’s no tradition for cycling in my home country.”