Spain’s Alberto Contador is poised to win the Giro d’Italia after surviving a loss of form on stage 20, a punishing 199-km trek from Saint-Vincent to
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Spain’s Alberto Contador is poised to win the Giro d’Italia after surviving a loss of form on stage 20, a punishing 199-km trek from Saint-Vincent to Sestriere on Saturday.
The Tinkoff-Saxo rider overcame a devastating attack from the Astana Team on the dirt roads of the race’s highest peak to come home sixth, 2 minutes and 25 seconds behind Italian rival and stage winner Fabio Aru.
The local favourite, who also won stage 19, edged out Canada’s Ryder Hesjedal by 18 seconds, with Etixx – Quick-Step rider Rigoberto Uran completing the podium, 0.24 seconds adrift.
Contador, bidding to become the first man since Marco Pantani in 1998 to win both the Giro and the Tour de France in the same year, holds a two minute lead over Fabio Aru going into the final stage, a flat 178km run to Milan.