Spain’s Alberto Contador retained the lead of the Giro d’Italia after Wednesday’s 11th stage won by the Katusha team’s Russian rider Ilnur Zakarin.

Zakarin biked in to victory alone after a long, solo breakaway on the 153km ride from Forli to Imola.

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Tinkoff’s Contador, whose goal is to become the first rider since Marco Pantani in 1998 to win the Giro and the Tour de France in the same season, held on to the leader’s pink jersey, with a slender three seconds advantage over chief rival Astana’s Fabio Aru.

Contador, who launched an unsuccessful attack, admitted it had been a tough day in the saddle.

Stage winner Zakarin, the shock Tour de Romandie winner last month, broke away from an escape group 23km from home.

With three laps of the Imola motor track to finish off the stage, the 25-year-old Zakarin held off the advances of the chasing pack led by Australian Simon Gerrans, eventually finishing 53sec clear of a sextet led by Colombian Carlos Betancur.

Thursday’s 12th stage from Imola to Vicenza is a gruelling 190km ride, with the final 60km over very hilly terrain, with some very demanding climbs and an uphill finish on the final ramp.