Alberto Contador’s voice is still hoarse, as if exitement over the Tour were bringing on a case of laryngitis before the start in Monaco next Saturday. He doesn’t want to accept the role of main favorite, and hopes that Johan Bruyneel, manager of his team, Astana, knows how to keep order in the troops, because he’s riding on the same team with Lance Armstrong, who in his return to Le Grand Boucle may be a rival under the same flag.

I suppose that, with less than a week before the Tour starts, you really want to get back on the bike.

So true. I’ve got high hopes for the beginning of the tour, because last year I didn’t get to go and that really gave me the itch, more and more, and put me in the right frame of mind to prepare conscientiously. Yes. I would like it if today were the 4th of July and to be able to be on the bicycle in the time trial at Monaco, which, certainly, I like a lot: I studied it about a month ago. Yes. I like it. I think that I’ll be able to start off on the right foot in the Tour.

There’s an impression that the uneven years—at least at the Tour—are yours. 2007, triumph in Paris, and now 2009.

I planned to debut in 2004 but experienced an accident in the Vuelta a Asturias, a seizure, health problems…In 2005, I finally got to know the race, although it was minus the eagerness to fight for the general. It served to expose me to the race. In 2006 they didn’t let my team participate due to Operacion Puerto. The next year I was victorious. Last year they refused to invite Astana. And now, I’m back. That’s why I’ve got such hopes.

What do you like best about this Tour?

Without a doubt, what I like best is seeing myself so motivated now. I’m conscious of being thoroughly well-prepared. I like the time trials, they’re a good fit for a climber like me. Plus they’ve reduced the number of kilometers overall in stages like that. That’s another benefit for a climber like me.

Then, a day before Paris, they’ve programmed a stage that ends at the top of Mont Ventoux.

It’s going to be a super-decisive day’s work and very tough. Besides that, the Ventoux is a summit where you can control your rivals. The climb isn’t kind to a cyclist advancing alone, because in the final part, where the vegetation stops, it’s always really windy. It’ll be far better to tackle the summit with differences already in your favor.

The last three Tours have had victories by Spaniards. Is this Tour de France destined to become a Spanish dogfight?

Spanish cycling is at a great level. It’s something that nobody can question. I already know what it means to win, so does Carlos Sastre. I don’t doubt that the Spanish riders are going to play a central and very important role.

There also might be a lot of surprises, eh?

In the Tour there’s always some rider who blows the lid off everything. The benefit of surprise exists, a breakaway is allowed…That’s why you’ve got to take a very strong team and not get caught daydreaming.

Astana, your team, is without doubt the strongest. Maybe too many leaders on one side? For example, Lance Armstrong?

Taking a powerful team is never bad. We’ll have to wait and see  how it the race develops on French soil. But I know that the manager of the team, Johan Bruyneel, will have enough experience to control the team.

Are you the main favorite?

No way. Other people have options, too. It’s a mistake to consider yourself the sole candidate in a race like the Tour. There are 21 days of competition and things always happen.

Certainly, apart from you and the Schleck brothers, the rest of the favorites are over 30. In the Giro it was the same. Is cycling aging?

I don’t think so. It happens that there’s a generation of very good cyclists over 30 who are still active, and still some younger ones who haven’t finished developing, like Andy Schleck or Luis León Sánchez. But in order to win the Tour, age and experience are vital. It’s very difficult for a cyclist under 25 to win in Paris.

You did it.

I know, and that’s why I’m aware of the difficulty that’s involved in winning again. But I believe in it, because I know that, in it, I have an opportunity. It’s a hope, although people have to know that I’ve got my feet firmly planted on the ground. This is the reason that I’ve gotten to be wise and to say that I only want to be in the fight for the victory.

Do you have the feeling that Spanish cycling stars are more valued in foreign countries than here?

I feel recognized in Spain. When I get a big victory, people come up to me, although for the last four months, it’s harder for them. Spanish cyclists now are definitely not superstars. None of us can compare with Miguel Induráin. Now, as opposed to the era when he was an active cyclist, society has more sports to amuse itself with, and all of them with Spaniards at the highest level: Nadal, Lorenzo, the national football team, basketball players…There’s a huge amount of sport available. It’s natural that people’s interests are divided.