Volta ao Algarve

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The Lithuanian still suffering from shoulder he broke in February.

Graham Watson shoots the final stage of the 2010 Volta ao Algarve.

Alberto Contador (Astana) finishes second in the final time trial to take the overall title at the Volta ao Algarve.

Alberto Contador isn’t happy about the UCI’s decision to ban his Specialized Shiv time trial bike on the eve of Sunday’s decisive final TT in the Volta ao Algarve.

With the star-studded RadioShack roster, Sébastien Rosseler never expected it would be him to score the new squad’s first victory. The stocky Belgian rider pulled it off in Saturday’s hilly fourth stage at the Volta ao Algarve, powering away from a breakaway with nearly 30km still to go.

Quick-draw Contador wins stage 3 Alberto Contador (Astana) picked up where he left off last July and won Friday’s “queen stage” to surge into the overall lead at the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal.

Early in Thursday’s infernally cold and rainy stage at the Volta ao Algarve, André Greipel called off his HTC-Columbia troops and told them not to chase down a five-man breakaway that had opened up a six-minute gap. ... Well, he won anyway.

Benoit Vaugrenard (FDJeux) surprised the sprinters with a well-timed late-stage attack to win Wednesday’s hilly opening stage at the 36th Volta a Algarve.

Racing this Week: The big story this week is the season debut of defending Tour de France champion Alberto Contador and several other big names at the Volta ao Algarve.

Tour de France champion Alberto Contador is starting a training camp in Calpe, Spain, Thursday, prior to his season opener at Portugal's Volta au Algarve stage race next month.

Portugal's Volta ao Algarve is a traditional early-season test for European pros.

Alberto Contador said Friday he will kick off his 2010 season with Portugal's Tour de Algarve in mid-February.

Astana's Alberto Contador started his season out with a victory by winning Portugal's Volta ao Algarve stage race on Sunday. Contador finished in the pack — in 96th place — on the 166km stage from Vila do Obispo to Portimao. Contador finished in the same time as stage winner Henrich Haussler (Cervelo TestTeam). Contador had taken the overall lead on the strength of his second place in the stage 3 mountain top finish and then his commanding win in stage 4's 34km time trial.

A day after being relegated to a rare second place on a summit finish, Alberto Contador turned in an authoritative time trial victory Saturday to take the overall lead at Portugal’s Volta ao Algarve. Contador beat back the likes of teammate Andreas Klöden and reigning world time trial champion Bert Grabsch (Columbia-High Road) on a fairly challenging 33.7km course in the hills along the Algarve Coast to snag his first win of the season and secure the overall leader’s jersey.

Katusha’s early season haul continued Friday as Toni Colom out-kicked triple-crown winner Alberto Contador (Astana) in the final meters of a summit finish to win the stage and take the overall leader’s jersey in stage three at the Volta ao Algarve. Colom – fresh off winning the Mallorca Challenge earlier this month – had a stronger kick at the end of the steep, second-category climb up the Alto do Malhao to relegate Contador to a rare second-place on a summit finish.

A steep, 200-meter rising finish at the end of Thursday’s hilly 183km second stage in the Volta ao Algarve looked tailor-made for Damiano Cunego or Alberto Contador. But those big-name riders have bigger fish to fry later this year, which opened the door for Basque sprinter Koldo Fernández to pull the double, taking the stage win and the leader’s jersey. The Euskaltel-Euskadi speedster bolted ahead of Portuguese sprinter Manuel Cardoso (Liberty Seguros) to claim his first win of the year, with Gerard Ciolek (Milram) coming through third.

Racing is clicking into gear all over Europe and several big names are revving up their 2009 racing legs at this week’s Volta ao Algarve over the green hills draped along Portugal’s southern Atlantic Coast. The five-day race marks the season debut for triple-crown winner Alberto Contador (Astana), who admitted he’s here only to stretch his legs.

Alberto Contador will follow a familiar path to the Tour de France and it won’t go through Italy.   The 2008 Giro d’Italia champ reconfirmed that the Tour will be his top priority this season and that he will not defend his Giro crown.   With Astana assured of a place in this year’s Tour, Contador said weeks ago he would not defend his Giro victory and instead focus on July.