Astana’s Alberto Contador held off the competition in the final stage’s individual time trial to win this year’s Giro d’Italia, delivering Trek its 11th Grand Tour title and earning the reigning Tour de France Champion his second Grand Tour win. Contador’s win also marks the second Grand Tour Championship for the latest version of Trek’s flagship road bike platform, the OCLV Madone—a bike redesigned from the ground up to deliver an unrivaled balance of high performance, all-day riding comfort, superior efficiency, low weight, and captivating styling.
Coming into the final stage just four seconds ahead of second-placed Riccardo Riccò, Contador raced his Trek Equinox TTX to an 11th placed finish, besting Riccò by nearly two minutes and sealing up his Giro Championship.
Contador’s latest Grand Tour victory is especially impressive given his less than ideal preparation. Originally excluded (along with the rest of his Astana teammates) back in February by Giro organizers, Contador was on holiday in the days leading up to this year’s race, spending his days on the beach rather than in the saddle. A last minute invite left a big question mark over Astana’s triple threat of Andreas Klöden, Levi Leipheimer, and Contador—all potential title contenders, but all in less than dialed conditioning. While Contador’s form certainly lacked some of its usual punch, consistently high finishes in the mountains and time trials, savvy racing tactics, and a powerful supporting team helped Contador ride into, and retain, the leader’s maglia rosa.
Given that last year’s winning rider and team will not be on hand this year to defend their Tour de France title, this year’s Giro is arguably the season’s toughest field and the pinnacle of this year’s stage-race competition. For Contador and Astana to come away with the championship against a field complete with the sport’s top teams, further underscores the reality that Astana is indeed the strongest team in the pro peloton and that Contador is the world’s strongest stage-race rider.
After celebrating his Giro win, Contador will undoubtedly return to the beach for some well deserved rest and relaxation. After his holiday, he’ll be back on the bike to start preparing himself for his next two ambitions: Olympic and then Vuelta gold.
See Contador in his quest to conquer a third Grand Tour with Trek Travel's exclusive behind-the-scenes Vuelta vacation. Meet the team, see the key stages, and ride the race route on a Trek Madone, just like Contador and the rest of the Astana team.
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