Alberto Contador to retire from an exhilarating but controversial cycling career

Alberto Contador has announced that he will retire from professional cycling after the Vuelta a Espana.

The two-time Tour de France winner will compete in the tour of his home country for the last time, starting on 19 August.

The 34-year-old will leave behind an illustrious career and will be remembered for an overtly attacking style that pleased fans of the grand tours for over a decade.

However, he will also feature in the minds of many as a stark reminder of the murky world of cycling’s problems with doping.

The Spaniard was stripped of his 2010 Tour win and the overall victory in the 2011 Giro d’Italia after he tested positive for clenbuterol. He has always insisted the drug entered his body through contaminated food.

Contador won seven Grand Tour titles and is one of only six men who has claimed victories in all three of the grand tours.

The news of retirement comes after a disappointing Tour last month, where he only managed a few daring long-range attacks which, though impressive, ultimately came to nothing.

Contador broke the news to his fans on Instagram: "I don't think there is a better farewell than the home race in my home country. I'm saying this happy, I'm not saying it with sadness. It's a decision I've thought about very well."