Stage thirteen of the 98th Giro D'Italia proved unlucky for Alberto Contador as Sacha Modolo of Lampre-Merida took victory.
The flatest stage of the race so far which was a straight 147km run from Montecchio Maggiore to Jesolo, kicked off with Rick Zabel (BMC), Marco Frapporti (Androni Giocattoli), Jerome Pineau (IAM Cycling), Bert De Backer (Giant-Alpecin) and Arnaud Courteille (FDJ), straight on the attack.
They were fifteen seconds ahead of the peloton including race leader Alberto Contador who had extended his lead with a second place on stage twelve, Young Rider Fabio Aru, Points Leader Nicola Boem and KOM leader Benat intzausti after ten kilometres on a wet day which started without Stefan Kung of BMC and IAM Cycling's Stef Clement who both crashed in yesterday's stage.
Eleven kilometres later and the peloton had allowed them to get 1.30 ahead.
They were two minutes clear when the escapers were forced to stop at a crossing to allow a train to pass. The peloton was duly slowed and the five escapers were allowed to get back on their way, just out of Borgoricco.
Frapporti took the intermediate sprint at Santa Maria De Sala as Bert De Backer (Giant-Alpecin) and Arnaud Courteille (FDJ) were shed, leaving three riders up front.
Through Spinea with 75 kilometres remaining and Zabel, Frapporti and Pineau had a lead of 1.12.Into Mestre close to Venice after an hour and a half of racing with an average race speed of 48kmh for the intermediate sprint which Zabel took ahead of Frapporti.
Their lead drpped to less than a minute and was down to fourteen seconds with twenty kilometres left.
Through Eraclea and it was handshakes all round as the trio were passed by the peloton and the penultimate sprint fro the finish line was on.
Tinkoff Saxo were on the lead going into the final ten kilometres heading towards Jesolo which has fifteen kilometres of beach and is known as the “City Of Horses”
Just outside the three kilometre to go mark, there was a big crash on the left and race leader Alberto Contador was one of about twenty riders who went down.
Fabio Aru avoided the crash as Lampre led going under the flam rouge.
Lampre had two riders to lead out Sacha Modola and he was able to get ahead and win in 3.03.08 ahesd of Nizzolo, Viviani, Porsev, Grosu, Richeze, Hofland, Ruffoni, Mezgec and Haussler.
Alberto Contador came in 39 seconds down with Richie Porte 2.07 down. It was down to the commissars to decide what to do about the crash and the overall classification.
RCS Sport, the race organisers confirmed that Fabio Aru of Astana now leads the race by nineteen seconds from Contador who had lost the leaders jersey for the first time in a grand tour.
Source: DSG
