He was on the beach – and then he was on his bike, racing to overcome 12 years of Italian domination in the Giro D'Italia. And he pulled it off! Spaniard Alberto Contador is tipped as the next Lance Armstrong - but cycling politics meant no Tour de France for him this year. So when the 25-year-old got a last-minute phone call telling him to exchange his beach wear for race wear and get over to the Tour of Italy start, Contador didn't exactly hesitate. After all, he had nothing to lose. Except his pride. A week later in Italy as the rain teemed down and his race condition wavered, perhaps Contador had regrets. Big ones. But the Astana leader had no time for them anymore. The hunt for Giro glory was truly up, and the ever-ambitious Contador wanted in. Badly. Contador's challengers were numerous, and the toughest Giro route of the past decade including chunks of off-road racing high in the Dolomites was not the least of them. But with Tour of California's Levi Leipheimer playing a strong team captain's role, Contador made it through to Milan in pink. Fascinating sideshows include the rise and rise of British sprinter Mark Cavendish, taking on Italy's finest sprinters in the 60km dashes for the line. There's also Garmin-Chipotle, America's youngest, brashest team, making waves from the word go in their first-ever major Tour.