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                <p>MADRID (AFP) – Spain's three-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador will have a lot on his mind when he begins his challenge on Monday to be crowned champion of the Tour of Catalonia which is celebrating its centenary.</p>
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The 28-year-old has been in good form this season finishing fourth in the Tour of the Algarve and winning the Tour of Murcia.</p>
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However, his mental strength as well as his physical strength will be tested as aside from competing against a strong field he will also learn whether the International Cycling Union intends to appeal the decision by his national federation to exonerate him over a positive doping test.</p>
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Contador, though, was more focussed in the riders that will be competing for the title.</p>
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"The riders who are here are some of my main rivals for the Tour de France," said the Saxo Bank rider.</p>
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"There will be Cadel Evans (the crack Australian recent winner of the Tirreno-Adriatico), Ivan Basso (two-time Tour of Italy winner), Dennis Menchov (Russia's two-time Tour of Spain champion), Michele Scarponi (fourth in last year's Tour of Italy) and others I forget," he said.</p>
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"They will be very difficult adversaries. They have begun the season in very good form and that is going to be clear in this race."</p>
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Contador, whose positive test came at last year's Tour de France where he claims it emanated from a piece of contaminated meat he ate, pinpointed Wednesday's mountainous third stage as the pivotal one.</p>
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"The third stage will be the key day, with the finish in Andorra, but the other days will be complicated as well," he said.</p>
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Contador's first major objective this year is the Tour of Italy, which runs from May 7 to 29.</p>
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