Recovered Contador confirms participation

"I've been riding the bicycle for 10 days and yesterday was the first day I could climb a mountain pass without knee pain," the Tinkoff-Saxo rider said in a statement.

“That excites me, motivates me and led me to take the decision that I will ride the Tour of Spain.

"I know it's a Tour of Spain that I'll have to take in a very different way than I had thought earlier in the season, or as I planned the Tour, but I think it can be very good for me thinking on the end of the season and either to start next year with guarantees. Perhaps in the last week I could be fighting for a stage win.

"Now I'll try to do my best in this last week until the start, see you all in Jerez!"

Double Tour de France champion Contador broke his shinbone during the 10th stage of the Tour last month and was expected to sit out the Vuelta.

He will, however, start the race on Aug. 23 without any general classification ambitions, only targeting stage wins.

Contador has won the Vuelta twice, in 2008 and 2012, and also won the Giro d'Italia six years ago.