Contador rules out Vuelta return

Madrid: Spanish cyclist Alberto Cotador has confirmed that he will be forced to pull out of this year`s Vuelta de Espana (Tour of Spain) cycle race as a result of the injury he suffered recently in the Tour de France.

Contador had been among the favourites to win the Tour, especially after last year`s winner Chris Froome was forced to withdraw from the race with a broken wrist, but a fall on the tenth stage saw him fracture his tibia and he too had to step off his bike. Following Contador`s crash, Froome sent a message saying he hoped they would meet again in the Vuelta, but a `tweet` from Contador Wednesday confirmed he will not take part in the race which begins Aug 23 in the south of Spain. "It`s a bad day today, the scarring on my injury has got complicated and I don`t have a date for when I will get back on my bike. Goodbye to the Vuelta," wrote the man who has won two Tours de France, two Vueltas and the Giro de Italia during his career.