Alberto Contador was the one to "bless" the opening stage of O Gran Camiño 2025, the short Spanish stage race that the Pinto champion briefly launched in person before switching to his now-usual role as a commentator for Eurosport.

Crossing paths near the team presentation stage, we couldn't resist asking him about some topics close to his heart, the season of his Polti-VisitMalta and the rise of Davide Piganzoli, and what he thought about the new chapter of the Pogacar-Vingegaard duel looming on the horizon this summer.

Alberto, Piganzoli is clearly a very important rider for you: what do you expect from him this season?

"I think Piganzoli is a rider who is growing very well. He's also a good guy, which is important. He's still young, but last year we saw what he can do by finishing the Giro d'Italia in 13th place. I think this year's start of the season has been equally promising: he did well at Valencia, here at O Gran Camiño I believe he can have a good race even if the route is not perfect for him because it doesn't have much climbing. We are very optimistic about having a great Giro with him and maximizing the best of his last contract year with us."

In general, what are your team's objectives for 2025?

"Our philosophy is that all races are important. We finished third with Lonardi at Valencia, fifth at Clásica Almería... then certainly races like Tirreno and the Giro d'Italia have greater value. In the Corsa Rosa in the last three years we've won two stages, we hope for ourselves and the riders to be in the mix again this year. We'll see... we have a good team anyway."

Do you think Vingegaard can return to the Tour at the same or higher level as Pogacar?

"I think for a rider who has won two Tours de France and finished second twice, you have to give him confidence. It's true that Pogacar has grown and is much better now compared to two years ago, but I'm sure Vingegaard works every day thinking about the Grande Boucle and knowing he'll have to raise his level if he wants to have any chance of competing against Pogacar. Last year he arrived a bit short on preparation, this year I'm sure at the Tour he'll be at an excellent level and we'll see a beautiful race. Evenepoel? His is a tough challenge because the accident penalized him a lot and his preparation has completely changed. But we know the class he has and what an extraordinary champion he is. He's certainly motivated to return to his level. Can he win a Grand Tour this year? Yes, of course, he has tremendous qualities, we'll see how he rethinks his calendar with his team."