Contador continues hot streak

Milan - Spain's two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador broke away 800m from the finish to win the Milan-Turin one-day race on top of the Superga hill in Turin on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old, who won the Spanish Vuelta earlier this month in his first major race since returning from a two-year doping ban, responded to an attack by Italy's Diego Ulissi in the final two kilometres and broke clear to win on the steep finish to the summit of Superga.

"It wasn't easy to race again after a very tough Tour of Spain, but now I know that I still have some energy left in my legs," said Contador, who also raced unsuccessfully in both the world time-trial and world road race last week.

Contador, who will compete in one more race this season, this weekend's Tour of Lombardy, dedicated his victory to compatriot Victor Cabedo, who died in an accident while training last week.

"I dedicate my win to all of my teammates and to someone who has been in my thoughts since the World Championships, Victor Cabedo," he said.

"Wherever he may be, this win is for him."

Sweden's Fredrik Kessiakoff, of the Astana team, came third in front of another Spaniard, Joaquim Rodriguez.

The Milan-Turin race is Italy's oldest cycling race, having first been staged in 1876.

However, before this year it had not been held since 2007.

Superga hill is remembered as the scene of the air crash in May 1949 that wiped out the great Torino football team of the era.

The Torino team had won four successive Italian league titles from 1946-49.