220px|right|thumb|Alberto Contador 2007ko Paris-Niza Itzulian.
'''Alberto Contador Velasco''' (Pinto, Madrilgo Erkidegoa, Espainia 1982ko abenduaren 6a - ) txirrindulari profesional espainiarra. 2007an Frantziako Tourra irabazi zuen 24 urterekin. 
==Txirrindulari bizitza==

1998an, kadete mailan hasi zen bere hiriko talde batean. 2002an, 19 urterekin Espainiako Txapelketa irabazi eta gero, ONCE Eroski taldeak profesional mailara igo zuen Contador. 2004an, Asturiasko Itzulian parte hartzen ari zela, burmuinan kabernoma bat jasan zuen urtebeteko errehabilitazioa behar izan zuelarik. 2006an, txirrindularitzara bueltatu zen Liberty Seguros-Wurth taldearekin. Talde honetan zegoenean, bere izena Operacion Puerto delakoan ageri zen, baina ez inplikatu bezala. Auzietara testigu moduan joan zen eta inongo akusaziorik gabe geratu zen. Hala ere, bere taldea 2006ko Frantziako Tourretik at geratu zen. 2007an, Discovery Channel talde estatubatuarrarekin, Tourrean parte hartu ahal izan zuen. Rabobank taldeko Michael Rasmussen daniarrak zeraman liderreko mailot horia eta Contador bigarren zen sailkapen orokorran Tourra amaitu baino lau egun lehen. Bere taldeak Rasmussen Tourretik at utzi zuen amaitu baino 3 egunetara dopaje asuntuengatik eta Alberto Contador bihurtu zen sailkapen orokorreko lehena, 24 urterekin mailot horia jantzi eta 2007ko Frantziako Tourra irabaziz.

Bere berezitasun onena, mendiak igotzea da, hau da, eskalatzaile edo igotzailea. Erlojupekoan ere ondo moldatzen den txirrindularia da. 

==Palmaresa==

thumb|right|240px|Contador, [[2007ko Frantziako Tourreko azken aurreko etapan, maillot horiarekin.]]
'''2003'''

* Poloniako Itzuliko etapa bat

'''2005'''

* Tour Down Underreko etapa bat
* Setmana Catalana, gehi etapa bat
* Euskal Herriko Itzuliko etapa bat
* Romandiako Tourraren etapa bat

{{Infobox Cyclist
| ridername      = Alberto Contador
| image          = Alberto Contador Paris-Nice 2007.jpg
| image_caption  = Contador at the 2007 Paris-Nice
| fullname       = Alberto Contador Velasco
| nickname       =
| dateofbirth    = 
| country        = Spain
| height         = 
| weight         = 
| currentteam    = Astana
| discipline     = Road
| role           = Rider
| ridertype      = Climbing specialist
| amateuryears   =
| amateurteams   =
| proyears       = 2003&ndash;2006<br/>2007<br/>2008&ndash;
| proteams       = Liberty Seguros<br/>Discovery Channel<br/>Astana
| majorwins      = 20px20px Tour de France (2007), 1 stage<br>20px Giro d'Italia (2008)<br>Paris-Nice (2007)<br>Setmana Catalana (2005)<br>Vuelta al País Vasco (2008)
| updated        = June 1, 2008
}}
'''Alberto Contador Velasco''' (born Spanish professional Discovery Channel and of the 2008 Giro d'Italia with Astana. While he competes for the overall titles, he is considered a climbing specialist.  Contador lives in his hometown Pinto.<ref>[http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/jul07/jul31news3 Contador Is Thankful], cyclingnews.com, July 31, 2007</ref>

==Career==
=== Early years ===
Contador turned professional in 2003 for ONCE-Eroski. In his first year as a professional he won the eighth stage (ITT) of Vuelta al País Vasco, where he finished third, and the fourth stage of Tour de Romandie, where he finished fourth. In his first appearance in Tour de France, he finished 31st overall and third in the young rider classification.

In 2006 he won stages at Tour de Romandie and Tour de Suisse in preparation for Tour de France. Prior to the start of the race he was involved in the UCI. <ref>[http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/aug06/aug17news2 www.cyclingnews.com Latest Cycling News for August 17, 2006]</ref> Contador returned to racing in Vuelta a Burgos but he crashed after finishing fifth in stage 4, when he was riding back down to the team bus and he briefly lost consciousness.<ref>[http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/aug06/aug11news Contador crashes]</ref>

=== 2007 season ===
Contador was without a professional contract until mid-January 2007, when he signed with Discovery Channel under a cloud of suspicion due to the Operación Puerto doping case.<ref>[http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/jan07/jan15news2 Contador signs with Discovery Channel]</ref> 

Contador's first major professional victory came with the Gerolsteiner team, allowing Contador to launch an authoritative attack on the final climb.  With Rebellin leading the chase, Contador held off his competitors in the final kilometers, winning him this prestigious race. 

thumb|240px|right|Contador wearing the [[yellow jersey during the 19th stage of 2007 Tour de France.]]
In the 2007 Tour de France, he won the 14th stage at the mountaintop finish of Plateau-de-Beille, and was second in the general classification to Michael Rasmussen. Upon Rasmussen's removal from the race after stage 17, Contador assumed the overall lead and the yellow jersey. In stage 19, a time trial, he managed to keep hold of the yellow jersey by a margin of only twenty-three seconds over challenger Cadel Evans and went on to win his first Tour de France, the first win for the Discovery Channel team since Lance Armstrong's victory in 2005.

After the announcement of the future termination of team Discovery Channel, Contador announced on Astana for 2008. <ref></ref>

=== 2008 season ===
On organizer of the Tour de France announced that Astana would not be invited to any of their events in 2008.<ref></ref> Consequently, Contador was unable to defend his Vuelta al País Vasco by winning the opening stage and the final individual time trial. His next scheduled race and objective was the Dauphiné Libéré but his team received a last minute invitation to the Giro d'Italia one week prior to the start of the race. Contador was allegedly on the beach when he was told he was going to ride the Giro.<ref>[http://www.velonews.com/article/76007 http://www.velonews.com/article/76007]</ref> Despite the lack of preparation, he finished second in the first individual time trial and took the maglia rosa after the 15th stage up to Passo Fedaia. Alberto Contador was proclaimed winner of the Giro the 1st June 2008 in Milan.

==Doping allegations==
Contador was kept out of the UCI.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/aug06/aug17news2
|title=Former Liberty five: 2/5 cleared
|date=August 17, 2006
|author=Rob Drap
|publisher=cyclingnews.com
|accessdate=2008-07-02
}}</ref> Each received a written document signed by Manuel Sánchez Martín, secretary for the Spanish court, stating that "there are not any type of charges against them nor have there been adopted any type of legal action against them."<ref name="astanaclear">Andrew Hood, [http://www.velonews.com/race/int/articles/10588.0.html Astana 5' cleared by Spanish courts], ''VeloNews'', July 26, 2006</ref>

In Spanish for "Nothing or like J.J."). JJ were the initials of Jörg Jaksche, who later admitted to be guilty of blood doping prepared by the Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes in 2005.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-471522/Now-man-hoped-save-Tour-faces-new-inquiry-doping-allegations.html
|title=Now the man they hoped would save the Tour faces a new inquiry into doping allegations
|date=July 28, 2007
|author=Rob Drap
|publisher=DailyMail.co.uk
|accessdate=2008-05-30
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.as.com/mas-deporte/articulo/tour-califica-contador-lider-limpio/daimas/20070727dasdaimas_3/Tes
|title=El Tour califica a Contador de líder "limpio" y "creíble" 
|date=July 27, 2007
|author=Juan Gutiérrez
|publisher=As.com
|accessdate=2008-05-30
}}</ref>

Alberto Contador was questioned in December 2006 by the magistrate in charge of the Puerto file. The rider declared to Judge Antonio Serrano that he did not know Eufemanio Fuentes personally.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/dec06/dec13news
|title=First witnesses testify in Operación Puerto
|date=December 6, 2006
|author=
|publisher=cyclingnews.com
|accessdate=2008-05-30
}}</ref> According to Le Monde, he refused then to undergo a DNA test that would have judged whether or not he had any link to the blood bags that were found in the investigation.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/road/2007/tour07/?id=/riders/2007/interviews/tour_alberto_contador_stage1907
|title=An Interview with Alberto Contador, July 29, 2007
|date=July 29, 2007
|author=
|publisher=cyclingnews.com
|accessdate=2008-05-30
}}</ref>

On July 28 2007 the French daily Le Monde, citing what it claimed was an investigation file it had access to, stated that Contador's name appeared in several documents found during Operación Puerto.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/tour-de-france/article/2007/07/28/contador-n-aurait-pas-du-participer-au-tour_940003_676968.html#ens_id=940173
|title=Alberto Contador, maillot jaune miraculé de l'"opération Puerto" 
|date=July 28, 2007
|author=
|publisher=Le Monde
|accessdate=2008-05-30
}}</ref> According to some sources, Contador's name is mentioned on a list of then-Liberty Seguros teammates that appear on a document later to identified as a list of training schedules for members of the team. A second reference includes initials of riders’ name that appeared on another training document (e.g. A.C. for Alberto Contador), although neither of those two references could be linked to doping practices.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.velonews.com/article/12964
|title=On the list, off the list - Alberto Contador and Operación Puerto
|date=July 26, 2007
|author=Andrew Hood
|publisher=VeloNews
|accessdate=2008-05-30
}}</ref>

On July 30 2007 German doping expert Werner Franke accused Contador of having taken drugs in the past and being prescribed a doping regimen by Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes, who was connected with Operación Puerto.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/tourdefrance/greatest-swindle-in-sporting-history/2007/07/31/1185647857951.html
|title=German drugs expert points finger at Contador
|date=July 31, 2007
|author=
|publisher=Sydney Morning Herald
|accessdate=2007-07-31
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.zdf.de/ZDFsport/inhalt/25/0,5676,5579481,00.html
|title="Das größte Ding aller Zeiten"(The greatest thing of all times)
|date=July 30, 2007
|author=
|publisher=ZDF
|accessdate=2007-07-30
|language=German
}}</ref> He passed his evidence on to the German authorities on July 31, 2007.<ref name="iol"></ref> Contador denied the accusations, saying 
"I was in the wrong team at the wrong time and somehow my name got among the documents."<ref name="iol" />  On Discovery Channel team manager Johan Bruyneel, Spanish sports minister Jaime Lissavetzky and members of his family.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/13069.0.html
|title=Contador: ‘I have never doped'
|date=2007-08-10 |publisher=VeloNews |accessdate=2007-08-10 }}</ref>