Giro d'Italia - Millar magic on Contador's day
Spain's Alberto Contador secured his second Giro d'Italia triumph after finishing third on stage 21, an individual time trial won by Britain's David Millar.
Wearing only pink, Contador (Saxo Bank) completed the 26 kilometre course around sunny Milan 36 seconds down on Garmin-Cervelo's Millar, who set a strong time of 30 minutes 13 seconds over a flat but technical route.
Italy's Michele Scarponi (Lampre) protected his second place on the podium despite finishing 10 seconds slower than compatriot Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) in the decisive time trial.
Scarponi completed the three week race 6:10 slower than winner Contador, with Nibali taking third place at 6:56.
Frenchman John Gadret (AG2R-La Mondiale), an unfancied time trial rider, limited his losses to secure a fourth place in the overall standings, 10:17 down on the maglia rosa, while Spain's Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) completed the top five, 11:05 down.
Riding the course almost two hours earlier than the top GC contenders, 34-year-old Millar put on a stellar display of time trialling, looking comfortable and assured throughout his ride.
Millar held the best time at the first intermediate check after 8.9km until Contador, riding last as race leader, topped his effort by a slender one second. The Scot had a small slump over the second third of the course, coming over the 18.1km check six seconds down on Dane Alex Rasmussen (HTC-Highroad).
But a superlative final third saw Millar claw back the time lost to Rasmussen, who he beat by seven seconds across the line.
It was Millar's 10th stage win on a Grand Tour, but his first individual scalp on the Giro, three years after picking up the team time trial stage in the 2008 edition of the race.
Assured of the overall victory, 28-year-old Contador, the 2008 winner, took his foot off the gas as he entered the centre of Milan, dropping to 17 seconds behind Rasmussen's benchmark time at the 18.1km check.
Entering the final straight, Contador rode the final 150 metres of the 94th Giro d'Italia with his arms aloft as he celebrated a career sixth Grand Tour victory.
Having asserted his authority as early as stage 9 of the race, when he picked up the pink jersey after riding solo to victory atop Mount Etna, Contador looked in complete control throughout the race.
Two stage victories and four second-place finishes showed just why the Spaniard is regarded as the best rider of his generation.
However, his critics will still point to the up-coming summer hearing with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which will decide Contador's fate after the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed against the Spanish cycling federation's decision to clear the former Astana rider after he tested positive for the banned anabolic agent clenbuterol during last year's Tour de France.
Comment 42 - 61 of 61
At last in Contador we have a rider who will attack, not be guided by his team or director sportif, when they get rid of the radios we will then see who the great riders are. Fausto, Jacques and Eddy did not need radios they done out of good racing skills, they were great to watch, not someone guided all the way to the last kilometer by his buddies.
And Bobcha, if you don't like that people get to post their sometimes unpopular opinions on this open forum, you could always be the one who packs up and take your bag of nonsense somewhere else too? I didn't personally get the email regarding your promotion to the position of content judge for Yahoo. If someone else got it, could you please forward it to me? It will remind me not to question our new captain of righteous opinion.
Ironic all the negative comments about Contador, when Millar continues to get handled with kid gloves after his EPO doping ban. This is they guy who buried his teammate in the press with a nasty, Armstrong-like rant, just days before the police went to his house and found EPO in his bathroom. Of course he rides for the Garmin choirboys so let's all pile on Contador and give our pillar of light in the anti-doping charge a free pass. And wll you be rooting for Basso then in the Tour? Or the Fuentes customer Schleck brothers?
For U Dizzy, Thomas, Fausto and Misi, why U r bother to make comments here, when always u all get negative comments (not recomended), from all cycling lovers
Where is ASO with their declaration that a rider under investigation of doping is unwelcome in their race. What a short memory they have. I guess Alberto gets special dispensation from Msr Jean Ettienne Amaury. This is just another way of doping rataining its stranglehold over our sport. When will it end?
John. That's a very mature post now @#$% $%# and s@~$ m& d#@*. \don't tell me how to talk you troll.
hats the point our sport is being ruined by a weak UCI thats allowed Contador to continue.
Dizzy, are you able to comment without using using bad language? If you want to be taken seriously, clean up your act and others will take more notice of you!
Thomas, don't let some people drag you away from your usual meaningful comments. I don't always agree with you but I do respect your opinions. For every reasonable comment there appear to be 3 or 4 sniping comments. To thine own self be true!
So Guys & Girls.... What about that bike race, eh? Lets remember the great racing and the very sad loss!
Bring on the Tour!!
Oh, sorry Thomas. I didn't read your posts but assumed you were against cheats too. I guess you're not. Don't joke about brain cancer either you muppet. I know somebody who died of it and if you had it, you wouldn't talk so flippantly about it. Twát.
Contadope is just a lifeless doll with that stupid smile on his face all the time. He doesn't even know why he is supposed to smile. He just does what he is told to do.
No Bobcha. This win from Cuntador is bad news for myself, Thomas and Misi as well as for all people who want to see fairness in sport. I have nothing against him as a cyclist. He is a great talent but he failed a test and, as yet, he has not been punished. The only way to sort this problem out, is to come down on offenders like a ton of bricks. Clenbuterol was on the list, Contador knew it or at least, he should have known it.. For me, he has not got a leg to stand on. Whitewash it all you like but I feel it sucks.
I forget U Fausto, but i cant forget this : JEDI GOVNA pederu, nadam se da ces pasti sa bicikle i polomiti sve koske
I hate Contador?
In that case, second word game of the thread:
If I hate Contador, I must ......... Scarponi and Schleck.
contador is so boring , he has no class, i fell asleep half way through this tour , god ac is so boring
Great victory AC, this win is for AC haters, Dizzy, Thomas, Misi.
Well done Alberto, for U AC haters, i hope U enjoy this ride from Mr Contador, and hope U see much more from him in next few years
Thank you for a common sense story!.
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------------dizzy exactly your talking about tdf im talking about the giro if he raced clean then he won it fair as for the cheat claim if we all look in the mirror we will see someone who has told a little white lie took a little something that was not our's like maybe someone's reputation this to me makes us all lying,cheating aholes its called being human and as for test that leaked TDF test to
Contador Will make History this year 1 grand tour down 2 to go. Its great to see attacking rider once again not having a strong team built around to do all the work in the mountains but to protect him from crashes etc. in the flats, it must make the top contenders for the TDF shake in their boots. Roll on July
I am pleased by the result as it is obvious that the strongest rider won.
I truly hope that he is clean and is cleared on the charge pending BUT if he found guilty then he has the good grace to apologise to the cycling world and give back the Giro crown. If he subsiquently wins the Tour in this circumstance also then he should do likewise for both.
BUT as I said, if he is clean.... Awesome!!!
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