Polartec U19 and U23 teams of the Alberto Contador Foundation presented for the 2023 season

The Polartec Junior and U23 teams of the Alberto Contador Foundation were presented this Monday, February 13 in Móstoles (Madrid) with the attendance of Alberto Contador, who thus officially opened the 2017 season.

The presentation ceremony was attended by the Secretary of State for Sport, José Ramón Lete, as well as by the President of the Spanish Cycling Federation, José Luis López Cerrón, who with their presence wanted to support the fifth season of a project that continues to work for the promotion of cycling and young cyclists.

In his speech, José Ramón Lete highlighted the merit of carrying out an initiative like this of the
Alberto Contador Foundation, which also combines sport with solidarity activities such as Bicis para la Vida, promoting the use of bicycles, and the fight against stroke. Lete thanked Alberto Contador for his commitment and wished all the Polartec riders success in their incipient careers.

Along with the sports authorities, the main sponsors of the team attended the event, headed by the American Gary Smith, president of Polartec, who showed his pride in working with the Contador brothers, Alberto Contador, Alberto and Fran, and ratified his commitment to the project by announcing the extension of the team’s sponsorship until the 2018 season. Gary Smith also announced that the Polartec teams
teams will travel to the United States at the end of this season for a special training camp on their sponsor’s soil.

José Miguel Aparicio, General Manager of ŠKODA Spain, hosted the presentation, which took place at the brand’s dealership in Móstoles. Aparicio emphasised ŠKODA’s links with cycling, which began precisely when the brand was founded.

ŠKODA, which began precisely as a bicycle manufacturer. He also said he was delighted to
the Alberto Contador Foundation because, along with cycling, it has other objectives that are just as important, if not more important, than the other objectives that are just as important, if not more so, than the promotion of sport.

There was also a chapter reserved for the social work of the Alberto Contador Foundation, in this case for the Bicis la Vida project, which was presented today by Susana Pato, from the Ananta Foundation, one of those involved in it along with the Seur Foundation and the Pinto Association for the Disabled. Susana pointed out that since 2012, more than 600 bicycles have been recycled and distributed to more than 20 associations and NGOs, highlighting the actions carried out in countries such as Morocco and Senegal. This year, in addition, the Alberto Contador Foundation will contribute to the Bicis para la Vida project the same amount that its riders win in prizes. In 2016 that figure rose to more than 5,600 euros.

Ivan Basso, Alberto Contador’s former teammate and long-time friend, did not want to miss the event either,
among others, given his position as responsible for the incorporation of new values to the Trek-Segrafedo team.

Alberto Contador closed the event by highlighting the importance of the sponsors who have supported his Foundation, given how difficult it is to find sponsors for a project in continuous growth and with growing needs. He thanked all of them for their commitment, from Polartec to Look bicycles, including Rotor and ŠKODA, whose versatility of its vehicles for a sport as demanding as cycling he highlighted.

Alberto Contador said he was “very excited about the start of this season with his new team, TrekSegafredo”, highlighting “the great atmosphere and the desire to do things”. As he has said on
other occasions, he pointed to the Tour de France as the big objective of the year and noted that in his recent Tenerife stage “the data are very good and we will see what happens in Andalusia, although it is a somewhat peculiar race this year, as it’s a a somewhat peculiar race this year, with the first three decisive stages. We’ll see what we can do”.