<figure ><img title="Cycling: 98th Tour of Italy 2015 / Stage 13" src="http://cdn.velonews.competitor.com/files/2015/05/SPTDW3054-320x213.jpg"/><p>Stage 13 was unlucky for Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) who suffered his second crash this Giro and lost the GC lead. Photo: Tim De Waele | <a href="http://www.tdwsport.com" target="_blank">TDWsport.com</a></p></figure><p>JESOLO, Italy (VN) — Alberto Contador lost the pink jersey in the Giro d’Italia Friday due to a crash on the wet roads near Venice, but it could just be a small hiccup in his ride to Milan.</p>
<p>The Spanish captain of team Tinkoff-Saxo fell at 3.3 kilometers to race as part of a maxi-caduta involving Richie Porte (Sky). He jumped on his bike quickly, but saw his lead slip away to Italian Fabio Aru (Astana).</p>
<p>Aru sat second overall at 17 seconds before the stage, but with Contador’s 36-second loss, he took over the pink jersey by 19 seconds.</p>
<p>“There’s never a quiet day in the Giro,” Contador said on the steps of the Tinkoff bus.</p>
<p>“I didn’t even bother to check myself for injuries, I just tried to just pick up my bike and go as fast as I could. The time loss is not that bad.”</p>
<p>It appears that Contador will keep riding as smoothly as he has done so far this Giro d’Italia. The crash Friday next to Jesolo’s beachfront will probably slow him down as much as the one did eight days ago in southern Tuscany — which was not much.</p>
<p>Team doctor, Piet de Moor explained Contador dislocated his shoulder in <a title="Contador crashes in Giro’s stage 6 sprint, injures left shoulder" href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/05/news/contador-crashes-in-giros-stage-6-sprint-injures-left-shoulder_370142"target="_blank">the crash last week</a>, but in the days after, he looked like his normal ‘El Pistolero’ self, dancing on the pedals.</p>
<p>He not only retained his lead, but he extended it, thanks to time bonuses and smart riding. Yesterday, he shot away for second place on the short hilltop finish above Vicenza and nabbed six bonus seconds.</p>
<p>Friday’s fall en route to the Jesolo finish where Italian Sacha Modolo (Lampre-Merida) won was the only hiccup since.</p>
<p>“I know that it’s hard to get those seconds back that I lost today,” added Contador.</p>
<p>“What really worries me is the contusion in my left leg due to a chainring. That was not even my bike, but someone else’s. I hope it’s only superficial.”</p>
<p>When the neon yellow Tinkoff bus left Jesolo, Contador already had his leg propped up and iced. It appears this setback could be just as small as his tumble in Tuscany and the 24-year-old Sardinian Aru could just be the overnight leader in a Giro that <a title="One more squeeze: Contador tightening grip on pink jersey" href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/05/news/one-more-squeeze-contador-tightening-grip-on-pink-jersey_371118"target="_blank">looks more and more</a> like Contador’s.</p>
<p>“Alberto is a big champion who’s won everything in this sport, I’m nothing compared to him,” Aru told press after slipping into the leader’s maglia rosa. “Anything can happen. I just have to stay alert.”</p>
<p>The <a title="Contador: Saturday’s time trial ‘will not decide the Giro’" href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/05/news/contador-saturdays-time-trial-will-not-decide-the-giro_371198"target="_blank">59.4-kilometer time trial</a> from Treviso to Valdobbiadene in Italy’s Prosecco hills Saturday is the longest since 2009. After the stage, there are still five more summit finishes in the Alps before the race wraps up in Milan on May 31.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/05/news/contadors-pink-jersey-gone-but-for-how-long_371261">Contador’spink jersey gone, but for how long?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://velonews.competitor.com">VeloNews.com</a>.</p>
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<p>The Spanish captain of team Tinkoff-Saxo fell at 3.3 kilometers to race as part of a maxi-caduta involving Richie Porte (Sky). He jumped on his bike quickly, but saw his lead slip away to Italian Fabio Aru (Astana).</p>
<p>Aru sat second overall at 17 seconds before the stage, but with Contador’s 36-second loss, he took over the pink jersey by 19 seconds.</p>
<p>“There’s never a quiet day in the Giro,” Contador said on the steps of the Tinkoff bus.</p>
<p>“I didn’t even bother to check myself for injuries, I just tried to just pick up my bike and go as fast as I could. The time loss is not that bad.”</p>
<p>It appears that Contador will keep riding as smoothly as he has done so far this Giro d’Italia. The crash Friday next to Jesolo’s beachfront will probably slow him down as much as the one did eight days ago in southern Tuscany — which was not much.</p>
<p>Team doctor, Piet de Moor explained Contador dislocated his shoulder in <a title="Contador crashes in Giro’s stage 6 sprint, injures left shoulder" href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/05/news/contador-crashes-in-giros-stage-6-sprint-injures-left-shoulder_370142"target="_blank">the crash last week</a>, but in the days after, he looked like his normal ‘El Pistolero’ self, dancing on the pedals.</p>
<p>He not only retained his lead, but he extended it, thanks to time bonuses and smart riding. Yesterday, he shot away for second place on the short hilltop finish above Vicenza and nabbed six bonus seconds.</p>
<p>Friday’s fall en route to the Jesolo finish where Italian Sacha Modolo (Lampre-Merida) won was the only hiccup since.</p>
<p>“I know that it’s hard to get those seconds back that I lost today,” added Contador.</p>
<p>“What really worries me is the contusion in my left leg due to a chainring. That was not even my bike, but someone else’s. I hope it’s only superficial.”</p>
<p>When the neon yellow Tinkoff bus left Jesolo, Contador already had his leg propped up and iced. It appears this setback could be just as small as his tumble in Tuscany and the 24-year-old Sardinian Aru could just be the overnight leader in a Giro that <a title="One more squeeze: Contador tightening grip on pink jersey" href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/05/news/one-more-squeeze-contador-tightening-grip-on-pink-jersey_371118"target="_blank">looks more and more</a> like Contador’s.</p>
<p>“Alberto is a big champion who’s won everything in this sport, I’m nothing compared to him,” Aru told press after slipping into the leader’s maglia rosa. “Anything can happen. I just have to stay alert.”</p>
<p>The <a title="Contador: Saturday’s time trial ‘will not decide the Giro’" href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/05/news/contador-saturdays-time-trial-will-not-decide-the-giro_371198"target="_blank">59.4-kilometer time trial</a> from Treviso to Valdobbiadene in Italy’s Prosecco hills Saturday is the longest since 2009. After the stage, there are still five more summit finishes in the Alps before the race wraps up in Milan on May 31.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://velonews.competitor.com/2015/05/news/contadors-pink-jersey-gone-but-for-how-long_371261">Contador’spink jersey gone, but for how long?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://velonews.competitor.com">VeloNews.com</a>.</p>
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