Contador Now Leads The Giro

Last updated : 16 May 2011 By Kev Monks

Alberto Contador won the ninth stage of the Giro D'Italia.

Stage 9 was from Messina to Etna and special checks had to be made made after the volcano erupted last week. The roads were passed as safe for cycling and the stage went ahead.

Giovanni Visconti, Yaroslav Popovych, Mickaël Chérel), Jan Bakelandts, Alessandro Vanotti , Pablo Lastras Garcia , Filippo Savini , Mathias Frank Joan Horrach Rippoll all went away after 50kms.

They were still clear when the race reached the bottom of the volcano, that was down to Visconti, Frank, Bakelandts and Llastras who was dropped with ten kilometres to go.

Up came Alberto Contador and with six and half kilometres left, he went away and won the stage and took the lead in the Maglia Rosa with a three second victory over José Rujano Guillen.

Contador leads the race from HTC's Kanstantsin Sivtsov by 59 seconds.

Of the Brits in the race, Peter Kennaught is 69th, David Millar 101st, Russel Downing 144th, Mark Cavendish is 171st and Adam Blythe is last in the race at 189th