Astana leader slips to third overall after suffering on the Mortirolo
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Fabio Aru collected another jersey for best young rider.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Alberto Contador and Fabio Aru ride together briefly(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabio Aru (Astana)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
White jersey Fabio Aru (Astana)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Mikel Landa climbed to his second consecutive stage win at the Giro d'Italia.(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Alberto Contador had to chase alone(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fabio Aru lost more than two minutes to Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) and lost his second place overall to Astana teammate Mikel Landa after suffering on the steep slopes of the Mortirolo and the climb to the finish in Aprica. Yet the young Italian was relieved to have limited his losses after the finale of the race became a battle for survival.
“I suffered for 40km and I could have lost 20 minutes,” Aru admitted after the stage, speaking briefly to Italian television before heading to his nearby hotel to recover from his huge effort.
“It honestly wasn’t one of the best days of my career. I suffered a lot and I rode more with my head than my legs. I fought all the way to the line so that I didn’t lose everything.”
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Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.
