Giro d'Italia - Contador crowned champion

Eurosport - Sun, 01 Jun 17:26:00 2008

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.

    * Stage 21: As it happened

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.

The final 28.5km individual time trial from Cesana to Milan was won by
Italy's Marco Pinotti of Team High Road who set the surprise best time of
32min45sec.

Pinotti's team-mate, the German rider Tony Martin, took second place at
7sec while Russia's Mikhail Ignatiev finished third, at 10sec.

Contador, who set the 11th best time at 39sec, looked in control of his
destiny throughout the pan-flat finale, bettering Ricco at every time
check.

24-year-old Ricco, who finished the race in the white jersey as the best
young rider, finished 2min32sec behind Pinotti to secure second place on
the podium.

Bruseghin (Lampre), who finished the time trial three seconds slower than
compatriot Franco Pellizotti, managed to secure the final podium berth by
just two seconds over the Liquigas rider.

Time trial specialist Bruseghin was the bookmakers' favourite to take the
race against the clock, but only managed the 26th best time after an
arduous week in the mountains.

Compatriot Emanuele Sella (CSF Navigare), winner of three stages during the
event, won the green jersey for best climber, while another Italian,
Daniele Bennati of the Liquigas team, won the cyclamen jersey for best
sprinter.

Overall standings: top ten
1. Alberto Contador (Spain / Astana ) 89hrs 56mins 49sec
2. Riccardo Ricco (Italy / Saunier Duval ) +1 min 57sec
3. Marzio Bruseghin (Italy / Lampre ) +2:54"
4. Franco Pellizotti (Italy / Liquigas ) +2:56"
5. Denis Menchov (Russia / Rabobank ) +3:37"
6. Emanuele Sella (Italy / CSF Group ) +4:31"
7. Jurgen Van den Broeck (Belgium / Silence - Lotto ) +6:30"
8. Danilo Di Luca (Italy / Team LPR ) +7:15"
9. Domenico Pozzovivo (Italy / CSF Group ) +7:53"
10. Gilberto Simoni (Italy / Diquigiovanni ) +11:03"
Felix Lowe / Eurosport


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