ROME — Denis Menchov almost lost the Giro d’Italia within sight of the Colosseum that marked the finish after falling on the rain-slicked cobblestones of Rome with a little more than half a mile to go.
The Russian got right back up and, on a spare bike provided by a team member, still finished the race with a 41-second lead over runner-up Danilo Di Luca.
He said the win, the biggest of his career, means that he will now enter the Tour de France as a serious contender.
“It sounds strange, but I finished this race very fresh. That gives me more confidence,” Menchov said.
When he finally did make it to the finish, the usually taciturn Menchov let out an emotional scream and raised his arms to the air in triumph.
“All the tension, stress, everything came out,” he said. “It’s the most important victory of my career by a long shot.”
Menchov won two of the race’s key stages, the mountaintop finish at Alpe di Siusi in stage 5 and the marathon-like 37.7-mile individual time trial along the Cinque Terre in stage 12.
“The time trial was my proudest moment, and I think today was the most dramatic moment,” he said. “It’s something I can tell my kids about some day.”
Menchov slid on the cobblestones for about 11 yards, dirtying the overall leader’s pink jersey and opening up a cut on his right hip.
He entered the final stage with a 20-second lead on Di Luca and was already comfortably ahead of the Italian at the final checkpoint before falling.
“The first thing you think of when you fall is to get back on your bike, but it’s never good to use a bike after you’ve fallen,” he said. “The mechanic was very professional. I was very intelligent in that moment.”
Menchov’s focus will now turn toward the Tour de France, which begins July 4.
“I’m one of the best riders in the world,” he said. “But we’ll see what happens. Everything has to go right. You need luck, a strong team. A lot of things need to fall into place.”
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