The unrelenting force of Alberto Contador in the mountains continued to widen the margin over his rivals at the Giro d'Italia on Tuesday.
The Spaniard won the uphill Stage 16 individual time trial by 34 seconds with five stages left, all but assuring himself the championship on Sunday.
The battle now appears to be who will share the podium with Contador (Saxo Bank). Italian cyclists Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) and Michele Scarponi (Lampre) each gained a few seconds on the rest of the field by finishing 2nd and 3rd.
Overall, Scarponi sits in 2nd place and Nibali sits in 3rd. The nearest rival to bust up that podium party is earlier stage winner John Gadret (AG2R) of France, who trails Nibali by 1:50.
The 12.7km time trial rose from Belluno to Nevegal for another summit finish.
Stage 18 on Wednesday is a 230km (143-mile) race from Feltre to Tirano in the Alps. The peloton crosses one each Category 2 and 3 climb, but finishes on a downhill run.
The Top 5 overall
1. Alberto Contador (Saxo)
2. Michele Scarponi (Lampre) – 4:58
3. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) – 5:45
4. John Gadret (AG2R) – 7:35
5. Jose Rujano (Euskaltel Euskadi) – 9:18
See all the results at Giro d'Italia website.
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