In 2007 it was the Tour de France, in 2008 it is the Giro.  Young Alberto Contador of Astana continues to build an impressive cycling resume with another major tour victory to his name.  He becomes the first non-Italian to win the three-week race since 1996 when Pavel Tonkov won.  That was a stat I wasn’t aware of until today but it makes his win even more impressive.

Contador carried a 4-second lead into the final race — a 17.7-mile individual time-trial into Milan — and although he didn’t win the stage he beat out his rival Riccardo Ricco comfortably winning overall in the end by 1 minute, 57 seconds.  Marzio Bruseghin was third, 2:54 behind Contador overall.  The stage itself was won by High Road’s Marco Pinotti in a time of 32:45.  Team High Road won the first stage of the tour also.

Contador who joins fellow countryman Miguel Indurain as Spain’s only winners of the Tour, managed to win the event without winning a single stage.

It’s probably the last we will see of Alberto for quite some time now as his team have been exculded from the Tour de France race this year due to their doping scandal the year before Contador arrived with them.

Category: Pro Road Racing » Alberto Contador, The Giro |

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