Alberto Contador clinches second Giro title to keep double hopes alive

One down, one to go.

Alberto Contador clinched his second Giro d'Italia title on Sunday, remaining on course to become the first cyclist since 1998 to win the Italian classic and the Tour de France in the same year.

The Spaniard had all but secured the win after Saturday¡¦s 20th stage when he saw his lead cut in half but nevertheless headed into the final day – a mainly processional stage – with more than a two-minute advantage on closest rival Fabio Aru. Contador ended up winning by 1 minute, 53 seconds.

Contador has had to dig deep during a troublesome three weeks in Italy, after dislocating his shoulder in an early crash, and is likely to face stiffer competition in the Tour.

“I overcame so many difficulties, but at the end I got the maglia rosa [pink jersey],” Contador said. “I don’t know how long it will take to recover but I think I’ll get back to work on Saturday. It was an emotional Giro. I already said it would be my last but you never know.”

Contador had a pink bicycle – the colour of the winner’s jersey – for the final stage while his Tinkoff-Saxo teammates had pink handlebars on their bicycles and all were wearing pink socks.