Balanced Giro route could help Contador in double attempt
PARIS (Reuters) - The 2015 Tour of Italy route unveiled on Monday should perfectly suit Alberto Contador with the Spaniard attempting a rare Giro/Tour de France double.
Contador, one of only five men with titles in the three grand tours (Italy, France, Spain) announced last month he would try to win the first two three-week races of the season, a feat last achieved by the late Marco Pantani in 1998.
"It's a course that I like because it suits my characteristics and my attacking instincts," Contador was quoted as saying by Spanish sports paper As.
The balanced route, featuring six hilltop finishes and a long individual time trial, is expected to favour him, possibly over this year's champion Nairo Quintana of Colombia, who is weaker in the solo effort against the clock.
The 59.2-km time trial from Treviso to Valdobbiadene, one week from the finish in Milan, could turn the table in favour of Contador but the final week should be paarticularly gruelling.
It will notably feature a finish in Sestrieres after a climb to the Colle delle Finestre, the highest point of next year's race at 2,178 metres.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Justin Palmer)
