However, the spirit of revenge is in the air around the new Giro champion: agile in climbing, strong in time trials, with a rational head on his shoulders. Contado said after he just had won the overall Giro title: "In ten months, I have won the Tour and the Giro. That’s impressive. I had a lot of rivals, all of them strong. This is why it’s an honour to wear the pink jersey, just like it was for Indurain in the past. For me, winning the Giro has the same value as winning the Tour again."

Contador is only the second Spainiard that wins the overall title at the Italian Grand Tour. The first Spanish winner was cycling legend Miguel 'Big Mig' Indurain. Indurain won the Giro in 1992 and 1993. Contador Said: "I never saw him racing. At the time he was racing I played football [European soccer, editor] and I did track and field. But I am proud to be his successor."

Contador still can't believe he just had won the Giro."I still can't believe it. The work of my teammates should not be underestimated. Just like me, they were informed about 8 days before the start that we would ride the Giro. Riders like Levi Leipheimer and Andreas Klöden, who are potential Tour winners, helped me here to win the overall title. But the other guys also did what they could. Actually I did not know Klöden as we started. But these three weeks have brought us together. Even as he was ill he did not stop. I have a very good friend more now."

The Astana team actually was not supposed to pa at this years Giro. "I have to say thanks to the team and to those who continued to believe in me after everything that happened. But now I’m really going to take a holiday. The first thing that I’ll do when I get home is turn off my mobile, so nobody can interrupt my vacation," joked the 25-year old who triumphed in Milano without winning a single stage. "I would have liked have won at least one, but I wasn’t sufficiently trained. I wasn’t in the right condition to do it. I should have trained more beforehand."

Contador joked a bit and said: "It was in truth worth the pain of interrupting my vacation to come to Itally and win this race. I am happy to have won-over Italy and the Italians, and I am happy with this great victory." Contaddor continued by saying."Its a victory that counts and measures up: I value it like the Tour, this Giro, and perhaps a little more, in view of the quality of the adversaries I had to defeat." Thinking toward July, The Tour? "I do not believe they will change their ideas with respect to their decision to not invite us, and anyway, after this Giro, I could not ride the Tour as a protagonist."

Contador will now focus on the UCI World Championships and the Vuelta a Espana.