It was another day in pink for Alberto Contador in Castelfidardo, despite the valiant effort of Christophe Le Mevel to relieve him of the maglia rosa.
More pics on the flip...
Local boy Michele (Miki) Scarponi was the crowd favorite in Castelfidardo.
Even after the finish line, there was a large crowd of spectators.
In Castelfidardo, the race jerseys were presented Italian style, with hot babes and cute bambini.
Eddy Merckx was a guest on Processo alla Tappa.
Gadret and others in the front group just after the finish:
No guts, no glory: Christophe Le Mevel had left everything on the road in his daring breakaway effort.
Gadret is led back to the podium for the ceremony:
Scarponi expression of the day:
Michael Barry:
Ever fashion conscious, Di Luca accessorized his red, white, and blue kit by riding beside a matching ambulance.
On the podium, Gadret showed off a particularly elaborate knee tape-job.
As would be expected of someone who spends so much time on podiums, Contador is an expert champagne sprayer, even obliging the photographers with a second spraying after the confetti was launched.
Mikael Cherel kindly ducked as he rode past the podium stage in a shower of confetti, so as not to block the photographers' shots.
Contador dutifully appeared at the press conference, and seemed happy to answer questions.
Susie Hartigan for Podium Cafe