Contador still in pink as Diego Ulissi wins stage

Fiuggi

Overall leader Alberto Contador gave nothing to his Giro d’Italia rivals during stage seven yesterday, a day after dislocating his shoulder in a fall, as Italy’s Diego Ulissi clinched the stage victory.

Lampre’s Ulissi got down and kissed the tarmac after outsprinting Spain’s Juan Lobato and Australian Simon Gerrans after a marathon 7hr 22min in the saddle, following a 264km run from Grosseto to the spa town of Fiuggi south of Rome.

It was the longest stage on the Giro in 25-years and race favourite Contador might also have felt like kissing the tarmac when retaining his pink jersey after coming through the day’s slog having dislocating his shoulder in a mass fall caused by a spectator with a camera during the bunch sprint on Thursday.

The 32-year-old Spaniard, who took the pink jersey following Wednesday’s fifth stage, was a doubt for the start in Grosseto after dislocating his shoulder a second time when climbing to the podium Thursday.