(CNN) — Tour de France champion Alberto Contador will stay with Astana for the 2010 season, the Kazakh-funded team announced on Saturday night.
Alberto Contador’s Astana future was in doubt following his uncomfortable relationship with Lance Armstrong. The Spaniard’s future with the team had been uncertain after clinching his second victory in three years in cycling’s most prestigious event, with the 26-year-old unhappy with the recruitment of Lance Armstrong this year. However, seven-time Tour winner Armstrong announced before the end of the race, in which he finished third, that he was forming a new U.S.-based team in partnership with Radio Shack. Contador had been linked with other teams following his post-victory outburst about his problematic relationship with the veteran American, who came out of retirement this year following a four-year hiatus to raise the profile of his cancer charity. Astana, who suffered financial problems earlier this year, released a statement confirming both its own future and that of Contador. “In order to clarify some misunderstandings reported in the media, the Astana Cycling Team management reconfirms that 2009 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador is expected to ride for Team Astana in 2010,” it said.
Astana spokesman Rinus Wagtmans said the team’s future backing was not in doubt.