Hot Stuff: Spanish Cycler Alberto Contador Pwns The Competition

By Michael Lopez

Move over Lance Armstrong, there’s a new cycling stud on the scene! Spanish bicyclist Alberto Contador recently won his third Tour de France by a margin of 39 seconds (pretty impressive by bike standards) and is primed to take his place as the new king of the two-wheelers.

Though only 27 years old, “El Pistolero” as he likes to be called, has already won multiple Tour de France titles, the coveted Giro d’Italia, and the Vuelta a Espana (making him the fifth cyclist in history to conquer all three Grand Tours). His specialty is considered to be “climbing” or being able to take on immense inclines at rapid speeds. He was also recently named ambassador for the World Stroke Organization, six years after recovering from a brain injury. Hardcore!

If you think those high settings on the spin bike are tough, imagine having to compete for endless miles among the huge sloped hills of Europe! Alberto can ace them flawlessly and has built quite a rep for his time trial numbers as well (covering 5.5 Tour de France miles in a little over 25 minutes).

Yes, Alberto was recently beaten in a street race, but that doesn't change his amazing record! So where did this all-star pedal pro come from? The small town of Pinto, Spain. Unlike a lot of athletic phenoms, there was no heavy parent-coaching going on in the Contador household. Alberto discovered cycling through an older brother and eventually dropped out of high school to pursue his dream.

Now Alberto’s on top of the world, hanging with A-list celebs, and has joined the top-ranked Saxo Bank cycling team for 2011. As demonstrated by his Tweets, he’s got A LOT to be excited about for the upcoming yea:

“Now i am a Saxo Bank-SunGard boy.I believe in 2011 and i'm sure that is the best for me.I'm happy with the new team!”

Way to put that pedal for the medal, Alberto!

Source: [NBC Sports]

Are you a fan of “El Pistolero”? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags Alberto Contador, Cycling, Deep Thoughts, Lance Armstrong, Sports, Tour de France