Giro d'Italia: Alberto Contador loses lead to Fabio Aru after crash

Fabio Aru has moved 19 seconds ahead of Alberto Contador overall

Fabio Aru took the overall lead of the Giro d’Italia from Alberto Contador on a rain-soaked 13th stage after the Spaniard fell in a pile-up 3.3km from the finish and lost 36 seconds.

Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) was one of around 20 riders brought down and although he quickly jumped on a team-mate’s bike, he was unable to catch back up to the peloton.

Aru (Astana) avoided the incident and finished four seconds adrift of stage winner Sacha Modolo (Lampre-Merida), which turns his 17-second overall deficit to Contador into a 19-second advantage.

It is the first time Contador has lost the lead of a grand tour in his career and is the second time he has crashed on a sprint stage in this year’s Giro, having dislocated his shoulder in a fall on stage six.

The late crash on stage 13, with Alberto Contador just visible in the background to the left of the rider in orange

That fall happened inside the final 3km and, under race rules, he did not lose any time, but the latest incident took place just shy of the 3km cut-off and this time Contador's losses stood.

He was not the only big-name victim of the crash, as Richie Porte (Team Sky) was also brought down and crossed the line 2min 4sec down on Aru. He is now 5min 5sec adrift of the Italian in 16th place overall and his already slim hopes of winning the race are over.

Contador said: "There is no calm day whatsoever. We were really well placed in the stage but you could see the crash coming, and from 3km you can have time neutralised, but we were just outside that. 

"First of all I tried to see if I was OK, and then I thought about getting a bike. I don't think the loss has been too much, although seconds cost a lot to get back, but the thing that most worries me is my injury, but I think I am OK.

Sacha Modolo sprinted to victory on the stage

"When you crash you automatically put yourself in a rigid position as defence mechanism. Of course, the shoulder hurts, but I want to think positively and getting better and that I am OK for tomorrow."

Porte said: "It is just how it is today. It was wet and nervous and it wasn't a big surprise there was a crash, to be honest."

Modolo avoided the carnage and comfortably sprinted to the first Giro stage win of his career by beating Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek Factory Racing) into second place and Elia Viviani (ream Sky) into third.

The Giro continues on Saturday with a 59.4km individual time trial from Treviso to Valdobbiadene.

Stage 13 result

1 Sacha Modolo (Ita) Lampre-Merida, 3:03:08
2 Giacomo Nizzolo (Ita) Trek Factory Racing, same time
3 Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky, st
4 Alexander Porsev (Rus) Katusha, st
5 Eduard Grosu (Rom) Nippo-Vini Fantini, st
6 Ariel Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) Lampre-Merida, st
7 Moreno Hofland (Ned) LottoNL-Jumbo, st
8 Nicola Ruffoni (Ita) Bardiani-CSF, st
9 Luka Mezgec (Slo) Giant-Alpecin, st
10 Heinrich Haussler (Aus) IAM Cycling, st
Selected others
18 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana, +4secs
46 Alberto Contador (Esp) Tinkoff-Saxo, +40
102 Richie Porte (Aus) Team Sky, +2:08

General classification

1 Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana, 54:20:35
2 Alberto Contador (Esp) Tinkoff-Saxo, +19secs
3 Mikel Landa (Esp) Astana, +1:14
4 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Tinkoff-Saxo, +1:38
5 Dario Cataldo (Ita) Astana, +1:49
6 Rigoberto Uran (Col) Etixx – Quick-Step, +2:02
7 Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing, +2:12
8 Andrey Amador (Cos) Movistar, +2:21
10 Giovanni Visconti (Ita) Movistar, +2:40
Selected other
16 Richie Porte (Aus) Team Sky, +5:05