ALBERTO CONTADOR ruled himself out of the road race at next month’s Rio Olympics, saying Tuesday that he needed four weeks to recover from injuries sustained on the Tour de France.

    The Spaniard, who withdrew from the Tour during Sunday’s ninth stage, told a news conference in Madrid that his goal now was to get ready for the Vuelta (Tour of Spain).

    The men’s Olympic road race will be held Aug. 6, almost four weeks after he sustained his injuries in two crashes in the first two stages of the Tour.

    “After what Dr. Leyes told me, the Olympics are discarded, because it’s not a matter of going there, but to reach them in optimal condition and it looks like it will not be possible,” said Contador.

    Contador, a two-time Tour winner, said he hoped to recover in time to compete in the Spanish Vuelta on Aug. 20.

    With seven Grand Tour titles, Contador is one of the top riders of his generation.

    “Not going to the Summer Games is a hard blow, it was my second objective after the Tour,” Contador said.

    The 33-year-old Contador withdrew from the ongoing Tour on Sunday during its ninth stage because of a fever. He had already lost valuable time after falling during the opening two stages of the three-week race.

    (SD-Agencies)