Contador: We were already working before Landa fell
Spaniard extends lead at Giro d'Italia to 5:15
With the Giro d’Italia seemingly already won, Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) took the opportunity to settle a score on the slopes of Monte Ologno on stage 18 – even if the maglia rosa would never admit as much himself, least of all when faced with a dozen expectant microphones in the mixed zone afterwards.
"I don’t think in terms of vengeance. You just take the race as it comes," Contador said simply of a day that saw him extend his overall lead to 5:15 by attacking on the day’s final climb after second-placed Mikel Landa (Astana) had crashed on the run-in.
The Astana team were similarly ruthless in attacking Contador two days ago when he stopped to change a wheel ahead of the Mortirolo, and Landa proceeded to irk his fellow countryman still further by soloing clear in the finale to claim stage honours in Aprica despite not collaborating with him in the winning break.
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Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.