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"Anything can happen", says Contador

published 20 May 2011

Giro d'Italia leader fears Crostis climb and Gardecchia stage

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Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank Sungard) fastens his helmet to do battle for another day (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Alberto Contador has admitted that he is still very uncertain of winning the overall Giro d'Italia. Going into the first of three grueling Dolomite stages with a lead of 1.21 minutes over his next serious rival, Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas), the Spaniard said that the race was far from over.

Contador climbs to stage victory and into overall lead

Contador focused on overall victory at the Giro d'Italia

"Anything can happen on the climbs to come," the Saxo Bank-SunGard rider said in a press statement. "Right now, a lot people think I'll win the Giro but there are still many riders with good chances. 1.20 minutes is nothing."

After Friday's testing mountaintop finish on the Grossglockner, another two torturous high mountain stages will await the riders this weekend. Of all three, Contador thought that "the one to Gardecchia [stage 15] will be the most difficult because of the efforts we accumulated in the previous days and on that particular stage. But all three are really very hard."

Stage 15 to Gardecchia-Val di Fassa features a total of five ascents, including the labeled "monstrous" Giau and Marmolada climbs. But on Saturday's stage 14, another climb was worrying Contador: the Crostis.

"I know the Crostis climb pretty well as I tried it out after the Flèche Wallonne with two of my teammates," he explained. "It is a very demanding climb with seven or eight kilometers with a very high percentage, even harder than the Etna ascent. It will be a tough day which will make differences in the GC and show who is weak," Contador predicted.