Giro d'Italia Stage 17: Sacha Modolo doubles up, Alberto Contador remains leader

Sacha Modolo of Lampre-Merida has won Stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia in the Swiss city of Lugano, now the home town of Tnkoff-Saxo's Alberto Contador, who retains the race lead by 4 minutes 2 seconds. It's the Italian sprinter's second stage victory of this year's race.

With the day's break swallowed up with a little more than 25km left of the 134km stage from Tirano, as the race headed along the shores of Lake Como, the win always looked likely to be contested by the sprinters left in the race, who will have one last opportunity in Milan on Sunday.

Late attacks - including one by Lotto-Belisol's Adam Hansen, who was caught with 10km left shortly before the race headed into Switzerland - threatened to upset their plans, however.

5.5km out, on the final uphill kick of the day, with the peloton now riding on smooth Swiss roads, Tom Jelte-Slagter of Garmin-Cannondale got off the front, his move followed by former world champion Philippe Gilbert of BMC Racing.

But with the sprinters' teams leading the chase, the pair were soon brought back and next to chance his arm was Katusha's Luca Paolini, but he too was swallowed up on a twisting approach to the line.

Lampre-Merida were at the front heading into the closing few hundred metres, their work rewarded as Modolo took the sprint from Giacomo Nizzolo of Trek Factory Racing with Giant-Alpecin's Luka Mezgec third.

Nizzolo remains in a closely fought battle for the red points jersey with Team Sky's Elia Viviani, the pair fighting for points at the intermediate sprints but the Trek Factory Racing man getting back into theleadership of the classification after his rial finished the stage in 11th place.

Modolo, who won Friday's Stage 13 in Lido di Jesolo, said: "On paper, the stage looked easy, but in reality it was hard, with a real ramp at 4km to go.

"I looked around me on the ramp and I saw lots of potential sprinters in difficulty. Perhaps they were more tired than me.

"Yesterday was very hard but I had good legs today and it was nice and hot - the sort of day I like. Perhaps we could do with one more rider but, after months of hard work, in Max Richeze and Roberto Ferrari I have one of the best lead-out trains going. I'm afraid of no one."

Race leader Contador said: "In theory it was a transitional stage but it was hard. The road went up and down, and we were riding into a headwind for most of the day.

"The peloton was very nervous, and it was fast, with the three-man breakaway up the road. 

"So far, something has happened almost every day: a crash, a puncture.

"I'm very happy because I got through the stage safely and arrived in Lugano, where I live, on my home roads.

"Yesterday was much more wearing than I would have liked, but I'm one day closer to Milan," he added, referring to his efforts on the Mortirolo, a climb he started almost a minute behind rival Fabio Aru due to a puncture - but crested nearly 2 minutes ahead of the Astana man.