The Spanish Saxo Bank rider broke away seven kilometers from the finish of the ninth stage for his first win of the race, shaking off Venezuela's Jose Rujano 1.5 kms from the summit.

Rujano took second place behind Contador, with Italy's Stefano Garzelli leading in a small group of chasers for third, around 50 seconds back.

The winner of the 2008 Giro d'Italia, Contador now leads overall by around a minute.