Gatto celebrates holding off Contador on Tropea finish

After launching his searing attack on the last rise before Tropea on stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia, Oscar Gatto (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli) expected to find the collective force of the sprinters' teams chasing him. Instead, as he looked over his shoulder to survey the situation, the Italian was shocked to see none other than Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard) in lone pursuit.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan is 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.