After protecting a slim margin in the pink jersey for the past six stages, Alberto Contador won the Giro d'Italia on Sunday with a comfortable lead of one minute and 57 seconds.
Early on it was reported that perhaps the last-minute addition of Astana to the Giro's peloton had put the team off their game; Contador was on a beach vacation with his girlfriend when he got the phone call the week before the race.
In spite of their slow start, Contador and his team finished strong in the last week in the mountains. The Spaniard gained the overall lead in the mountains on Stage 15 last Sunday, and held onto to it throughout the week, for the past couple of stages with only a four-second margin.
Time trial
Riccardo Ricco, the Italian who sat in second place in the final stages of the race, faded in Sunday's time trial, finishing 1:53 behind Contador.
The winner of the final stage and time trial into Milan was Italian Marco Pinotti of Team High Road. It was the US-based team's fourth stage win at the Giro.
A couple of American riders also finished strong in the time trial: Christian Vande Velde finished in 5th place, followed by Danny Pate in 6th place. Both are members of Slipstream-Chipotle, which won the opening team time trial which put Vande Velde in the pink jersey.
Next tour
Contador is the defending Tour de France champion; he won last year as a member of the Discovery Channel pro cycling team. So far the Tour de France high sheriffs haven't invited Astana, based on past transgressions of the team. Contador doubts he could compete in the Tour now:
“After winning such a hard and demanding Giro, I wouldn’t be able to go to the Tour anyway.”
The Tour de France runs July 5-27.
Top 10 finishers of 2008 Giro d'Italia
1. Alberto Contador (ESP), Astana
2. Riccardo Ricco' (ITA), Saunier Duval, 1:57 behind
3. Marzio Bruseghin (ITA), Lampre, 2:54
4. Franco Pellizotti (ITA), Liquigas, 2:56
5. Denis Menchov (RUS), Rabobank, 3:37
6. Emanuele Sella (ITA), CSF Group Navigare, 4:31
7. Broeck Jurgen Van Den (BEL), Silence-Lotto, 6:30
8. Danilo Di Luca (ITA), Team L.P.R., 7:15
9. Domenico Pozzovivo (ITA), CSF Group Navigare, 7:53
10. Gilberto Simoni (ITA), Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni, 11:03
Where US cycling finished:
18. Levi Leipheimer, Astana, 45:36 behind
52. Christian Vandevelde, Slipstream-Chipotle, 1:43:59
95. Jason Mccartney, CSC, 2:57:21
137. Danny Pate, Slipstream-Chipotle, 4:07:19 (finishing fifth from the bottom)
See more at VeloNews and CyclingNews. Also, Giro d'Italia on cable at Versus, 4 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. PT.
Photo of Contador above by Crackedboy at flickr.com
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