At one point it seemed like a team time trial, so many Astana were in single file on the climb to Madonna di Campiglio. On the contrary Alberto Contador was left without companions. A perfect team game which, once the pink jersey was isolated, was thought to be aimed at preparing an attack by Aru. But that didn't happen even if it was the Kazakh team that won the stage with Mikel Landa, Spanish, 26 years old on December 13th, a handsome grimpeur who lost a lot of minutes in the Valdobbiadene time trial, otherwise he would be in an even better position of the current fourth place at 4'46”.
Contador also paid tribute to his compatriot's skill: "You can't chase everyone, but if I could - the Pistolero in the squad said honestly - I would have liked to win. Anyway, that's okay, I controlled Aru also gaining another handful of seconds”. In fact it was Contador himself, when the leading squad was reduced to a sextet, who gave battle by replying to a shot from Landa: the pink jersey gained a few tens of meters but was unable, however, to make a vacuum because Aru, with one proud effort, he closed the hole dragging Trofimov behind while the Costa Rican Amador and the Dutch Kruijswijk remained further behind.
2 kilometers from the finish it was Aru's turn to try, then Landa tried again, but Contador kept a good guard. At the last kilometre, the one who had never moved up to that point escaped: it seemed made for Yuri Trofimov but the Russian didn't count on an indomitable Landa who caught him again in the last hundred meters, preceding him by 2”. Contador was content with third place gaining a second over Aru which, added to the bonus of 4" and another 2" earned at the flying finish line in Pinzolo, brought the Pistolero's tally to 7" in the first stage in the Dolomites.
Tuesday after today's rest there will be a stage with the Mortirolo and the uphill finish at Aprica. Contador day after day is imposing his law by extending on Aru who is now 2'35 behind. Third is the surprising Amador at 4'19”; fourth Landa 4'46”; fifth the Czech Leopold Konig at 6'36”. Finished round? Certainly for two of the four favorites on the eve, who suffered dizzying delays at the finish in Campiglio yesterday: for Porte the stage was a painful ordeal, as he struggled behind the lines until he disappeared from the radar of the race.
He reappeared at the finish line when more than 27 minutes had passed since Landa's arrival. A physical and nervous meltdown for the Tasmanian, who is now contemplating retirement, after so many unfortunate vicissitudes which, however, do not justify a surrender of this size by a rider who this year had presented himself at the Giro with many credentials after the victories in Paris -Nice, the Tour of Catalonia and the recent Tour of Trentino. He didn't collapse like Porte, but since yesterday Rigoberto Uran has also been out of the game who, after the disappointing time trial in Valdobbiandene, suffered quite a bit in the final ascent, finishing 34th with exactly 8 minutes behind. Now the Colombian, victim of a bad fall at the Imola racetrack, has slipped from fourth to 15th place, 12'15” behind Contador.
Waiting to start again tomorrow from Pinzolo towards Mortirolo and Aprica, the Giro stops today in the Brenta Dolomites. It will be a day dedicated to rest and to the memory of Marco Pantani who in Campiglio in the pink jersey won his last stage of the Giro and the next morning began his human agony.
