Spain’s Alberto Contador became the first non-Italian rider to win the Giro d’Italia in 12 years on Sunday after resisting the challenge from second-place Riccardo Ricco of Italy in the final time trial to Milan. The 2007 Tour de France winner finished the three-week race 1min57sec ahead of Ricco, while Marzio Bruseghin, also of Italy, took third at 2min54sec.

Contador is the first Spaniard to win the Giro since Miguel Indurain successive victories in 1992/93. The 25-year-old Astana rider started the final day with a slender four second advantage over main rival Ricco (Saunier Duval) but his superior time trialing skills were enough to ensure that for the first time since Pavel Tonkov’s triumph in 1996 it was a foreign rider - and not an Italian - who topped the podium in Milan. Read the rest of this entry »

Emanuele Sella powered to a memorable Giro hat-trick on the penultimate stage of this year’s race on a day that saw reigning champion Danilo Di Luca’s chances of overall glory evaporate into thin air. With just the final time trial left on the agenda, Spain’s Alberto Contador is poised for victory. CFS Group Navigare rider Sella attacked 30 kilometres from the finish on the final climb to Aprica and managed to maintain his lead on the descent to Tirano, finishing 1′04″ seconds ahead of compatriot Gilberto Simoni (Diquigiovanni) after almost seven hours in the saddle.

Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez (Caisse d’Epargne) took third place, 1′21″ off the pace, while Italy’s Riccardo Ricco (Saunier Duval) pipped pink jersey Alberto Contador (Astana) in a token sprint to take fourth place in the 224km stage 20. Read the rest of this entry »

Italy’s Marzio Bruseghin, riding for the Lampre team, won the tenth stage of the Giro d’Italia, a 39.4km individual time trial from Pesaro to Urbino. The 33-year-old edged out Tour de France champion Alberto Contador of Spain while Italy’s Giovanni Visconti, of the Quick Step team, retained the overall lead.

Visconti leads German Matthias Russ by 3min 31sec.

Contador finished eight seconds slower than Bruseghin, which was better than his Astana team-mate Andreas Kloden who was third, 20 seconds adrift.

The specialist climbers managed to avoid too much damage in terms of losing time as Italian Gilberto Simoni lost less than a minute and his compatriot and already two-time stage winner Riccardo Ricco less than two minutes, even, though he fell during the stage. Read the rest of this entry »

Italy’s Gabriele Bosisio of the LPR Brakes team won the seventh stage of the Giro d’Italia. Bosisio was part of a decisive seven-rider attack and then leapt away eight kilometres from the finish of the Vasto to Pescocostanzo 176-km stage to win alone.

Vasil Kiryienka of Belarus was second, 46 seconds behind, and Emanuele Sella of Italy third at one 1:02. Italy’s Giovanni Visconti finished 3:52 minutes behind Bosisio but retained the overall race lead.

He leads Matthias Russ of Germany by nine seconds. Bosisio is third at 5:43 behind. Read the rest of this entry »

Britain’s Mark Cavendish enjoyed his first stage win at the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday, with a high-speed sprint finish. The 21-year-old from the High Road team beat Germany’s Robert Foerster and Italy’s Daniele Bennati after lone breakaway Rik Verbrugghe was caught 16 km from the end of the 181-km stage.

Italy’s Franco Pellizotti of the Liquigas team retained the overall race lead and will wear the pink jersey during Wednesday’s 203-km fifth stage from Belvedere Marittimo to Contursi Terme.

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