Contador seals second Giro d'Italia title as Keisse earns final stage win in Milan

Contador will now aim to become the first man since 1998 to do the Giro/Tour double ©AFP/Getty Images

Spain’s Alberto Contador claimed his second Giro d’Italia title after remaining unscathed on the final stage of the three-week race, with Belgium’s Iljo Keisse holding off his sprinting rivals in the closing stages of the route from Turin to Milan to take the stage victory.

Despite suffering a difficult penultimate day in which his lead was cut by 2min 25sec, Saxo-Tinkoff's Contador still enjoyed a comfortable advantage of more than two minutes, which proved more than enough to secure the pink jersey.

“I thank the people of Italy for their affection,” Contador said afterwards.

“Everyone has been very special with me and I am very happy.

“It has been a beautiful Giro, and a very special experience for me.

“I don't know how long it will take to recover.”

The Spaniard, whose overall winning time was 88 hours 22min 25sec, previously won the Giro in 2008 and 2011, but was stripped of his later title by the Court of Arbitration for Sport following a positive test for clenbuterol the previous year.

Aru and Landa's podium finishes helped Astana secure the team classification — Fabio Aru and Mikel Landa's podium finishes helped Astana secure the team classification ©AFP/Getty Images

Contador will now aim to become the first man since Marco Pantani, whose death 10 years ago was marked during the race, to win the Giro and Tour de France in the same year, with the Italian having achieved the feat in 1998.

Should the Saxo-Tinkoff rider achieve the feat, he would also hold all three Grand Tour titles, having won the 2014 Vuelta a Espana.

Astana’s Fabio Aru, winner of stage 19 and 20, had reduced the the arrears further on the 178 kilometres final stage to finish 1:53 adrift of Contador to claim second, while the 24-year-old Italian also secured the white jersey for best young rider.

Aru’s Astana team mate Mikel Landa finished on the podium at a Grand Tour for the first time, finishing 3:05 behind Contador but more than five minutes clear of fourth place finisher Andrey Amador of Movistar.

Aru’s and Landa’s performances were a major factor in Astana winning the team classification.

Etixx-Quick-Step’s Iljo Keisse earned the final stage win of the race having broken away from the field with Orica GreenEdge’s Australian cyclist Luke Durbridge, with 30km remaining.

The two surprisingly held off the peloton in the remaining laps of the circuit around Milan, with the sprinters' teams failing to organise themselves in time to complete the catch, leaving Six Days specialist Keisse to take victory in 4:18:37, with Durbridge nine seconds behind in second.

A fifth place finish on the final stage confirmed Trek Factory Racing’s Giacomo Nizzolo as the winner of the points classification, while Movistar’s Giovanni Visconti won the mountain’s title.