ALBERTO CONTADOR HAS revealed that he will not compete in next month’s Spanish Vuelta after losing his Tour de France crown to Cadel Evans.

“Maybe next year I’ll be in the Vuelta,” the Spaniard said. “This year it does not enter into my plans. I need to rest.”

Contador won the Giro d’Italia earlier this summer and appeared to pay the price for it as he ended the Tour almost four minutes behind Evans.

“You have to measure your strength when deciding whether to compete in a race or not because your ability to recover has its limits,” the three-time Tour winner said.

Contador has not competed in the Vuelta since 2008, when he won the event.

Next Monday, the court of arbitration for sport opens a three-day hearing into Contador’s positive test for the banned substance clenbuterol a year ago. He faces a two-year ban if the CAS overturns the Spanish federation’s decision to clear him of doping.

– AP