16:31 - But a big hand of applause to David Millar for victory today - the Briton has had a superb race, and even wore the pink jersey for a couple of days.
16:30 - Contador stands on the red, white and green carpet with his arms aloft to celebrate his 2nd Giro d'Italia win. What a three weeks from the Spaniard - he was by far the best ride by a long stretch.
26km - Millar takes victory today as Contador cruises home with his hands off his handlebars to set the 3rd best time, 36 down on Millar.
26km - Here comes Scarponi... he's done enough to keep his 2nd spot on the podium... he loses just 10 seconds on his compatriot Nibali, 31:41.
26km - Nibali sets the 10th best time, 1:18 down with 31:31.
26km - Gadret comes home in 68th, 2:51 down on Millar. It should be enough to save his 4th place in the GC.
16:24 - Still only 15 seconds separating Scarponi and Nibali, so the former will keep his 2nd place on the podium.
26km - Rodriguez comes home at 2:14. Probably enough to hold off Kreuziger...
16:22 - Nibali is giving it his all as the Milanese faithful chant his name...
26km - Rujano is down 2:25 at the finish, but that's enough to ward off Kreuziger.
18km - Relief for Millar: Contador seems to be tiring. He's 17 seconds down on Rasmussen's time at the second check. That means Millar has an 11 second advantage.
26km - Here's Roman Kreuziger... 1:29 down on Millar, but he will keep his place from Menchov.
26km - Terrible ride for Menchov, who comes over the finish a huge +2:03 on Millar.
18.1k - Nibali is in 9th place, 53 seconds down at the second check.
26km - Steven Kruijswich comes home in 16th, 1:31 down. Nieve comes soon after, and the Spaniard will lose his top 10 place to Siutsou tonight.
16:11 - Contador swerves a little to avoid a man-hole cover. He looks a delight on two wheels.
16:11 - Rujano is well down at the second check - almost two minutes it seems.
8.1km - Contador is going for the win, that's for sure: the Spaniard is -1 at the first check. Millar must be getting tense at the finish.
8.1km - Nibali was 13 down on Millar and Kreuziger 20 down at the first check.
8.1km - Nibali and Scarponi have come through the first check, and Nibali has 10 seconds over his rival.
26km - Euskaltel's Igor Anton well off the pace today, 89th position and almost four minutes down on Millar.
16:03 - It's a shame Contador isn't riding a pink bike today - although that may have been labouring a point somewhat.
16:00 - That Codol time, mentioned earlier, must have been a mistake because it hasn't been confirmed, and the Italian was no where near the leader board at any of the earlier intermediate checks. So, it's still Millar, Rasmussen at +7 and Porte at +43.
15:58 - Contador is fully decked out in pink today: jersey, shorts, shoes and glasses. Although his helmet is white...
15:57 - Now it's Alberto Contador, the maglia rosa. In fact, even the leaders are leaving at one minute intervals so expect some of them to be caught by each other.
15:56 - Now it's Scarponi, wearing the points classification red jersey and shorts, even if it's actually Alberto Contador who leads that competition...
26km - Garzelli comes home with the 38th best time, well off the pace.
15:54 - Of goes Vincenzo Nibali... the Liquigas has 56 seconds to make up if he wants to overtake compatriot Michele Scarponi and finish this race in 2nd place on the podium.
15:52 - Joaquim Rodriguez of Katusha and now John Gadret of AG2R are on course. So, just the top three to go now.
26km - Third fastest time for Massimo Codol at the finish - there's a surprise.
8.9km - Suitsou goes through the first check in 6th place, 18 seconds down on Millar's landmark time.
15:49 - No one coming anywhere near Millar's time at the moment.
15:48 - Jose Rujano of Colnago now. He'll hav to ride the ITT of his life to protect his 6th spot.
15:46 - Roman Kreuziger, the best young rider in this year's race, heads down the ramp. Both him and Menchov could move into the top five tonight - provided they ride well, and Rodriguez, Rujano and Gadret have a shocker.
15:45 - Aternatively, you can enjoy LIVE commentary with the mellifluous and dulcet tones of David Harmon and Sean Kelly, the true voices of cycling commentary, by clicking this link here
15:45 - The race is LIVE NOW on British Eurosport (Sky 410 / Virgin Media 521) and is also available on your PC via the Eurosport Player: Click here to subscribe
15:43 - Geox's Denis Menchov is down the ramp. Last time he did an ITT on the final stage of the Giro he was in pink... but he also crashed.
15:41 - So, Alberto Contador will ride around Milan with an unassailable 5:18 advantage on his way to securing a second Giro d'Italia triumph on Sunday. That much we can be certain. In fact, we can be certain of a lot - for instance, Fumiyuki Beppu will still be smiling and Steven Kruijswijk's surname will still be impossible to spell - but what can we be certain won't happen in world's fashion and design capital? Blazin' Saddles: What won't happen in Milan
15:40 - HTC's Kanstantsin Suitsou is on course now. He's not bad at time trials so may well give Millar a run for his Scottish pound.
26km - Ulissi finishes, and he still has Kiverlovski on his wheel. It's the 19th best time, 1:42 down on Millar.
15:35 - David Arroyo (Movistar) down the ramp. It's been quite a quiet Giro for the Spaniard...
15:29 - Stage winner Diego Ulissi (Lampre) catches and passes Astana's Robert Kiserlovski.
15:23 - On course now, Stefano Garzelli of Acqua & Sapone. The Italian won the green jersey for best climber in this year's race.
26km - Omega Pharma-Lotto's Sebastien Lang has had better days in the time trial saddle... The German comes home in 10th, 1:26 down.
26km - Danilo Di Luca's Giro concludes with a whimper, as the controversial former winner trickles home to set the 95th best time, 5:40 down on leader Millar. Good job he's riding for free, eh?
26km - Here comes Popo at the finish... and he's tailed off a little, 4th at 55 seconds.
8.9km - Yaroslav Popovych (RadioShack) has just set the second best time at the first check, just 3 seconds down on Millar.
15:05 - Stage 18 winner Eros Capecchi (Liquigas) catches Bruno Cherel (Ag2R). But the Frenchman stays in his slipstream for an age, prompting a motorbike commissaire to blow his whistle and force Cherel to stop hitching a lift.
15:00 - Off goes Giovanni Visconti in the yellow of Farnese Vini. The hot head Italian - who was stripped of the win in stage 17 following his push on compatriot Diego Ulissi (Lampre) - is not wearing his Italian national champion jersey because this is an ITT. HTC's Marco Pinotti would be in the Italian colours, but he had to retire from the race on Friday following a nasty crash in the wet weather.
26km - Here comes Richie Porte down the closing straight... or the closing few bends, I should say, seeing that it is a very winding and technical approach to the Duomo. The Saxo Bank tyro sets the best 3rd time, 43 seconds behind leader Millar. It's been a disappointing Giro for Porte, although the hoo-ha about Alberto Contador mustn't have helped. Porte's in pink shoes today - but that's the closest he came to re-experiencing last year's few days in the maglia rosa.
8.9km - Richie Porte, 7th overall last year but rather underwhelming this time round, is on course for Saxo Bank. The young Tasmanian has set the 5th best time at the first check, 18 seconds down on Millar.
26km - Konovalovas comes home 1:30 down in provisional 7th.
14:36 - Given Rasmussen's track pedigree, that's an outstanding effort from Millar - especially on the back of such a gruelling three week race.
26km - Millar looks masterful out there in the Milanese sun. He won't have time to catch a fourth rider out there, but this is a great ride. Here he comes to the final straight... and he's the new provisional leader, shaving seven seconds off Rasmussen's time to set a target of 30:13.
14:32 - Ignatas Konovalovas of Movistar looks pretty strong. Stef Clement (Rabobank) has just set the 6th best time. Rasmussen still leads - but Millar's effort will surely beat him.
14:28 - Millar almost rides into a scooter on that last tight bend. He's going very well as he hits the cobbled section. And here's the next rider he's going to pass: Alessandro Spezialetti of Lampre.
18.1k - Millar is six seconds down on Rasmussen at the second check. That's a surprise.
14:26 - Three riders just finished at the same time out there. Meanwhile, Millar has caught the next man in front of him - Vacansoleil's Freddie Veuchlen. The Dutchman was involved in the break yesterday, so it's understandable that he's riding more than two minutes down on the Brit.
8.9km - Millar roars through the first check 5 seconds faster than Rasmussen to take the lead. He'll be a tough one to beat today after taking the last few days very easily in preparation for this ITT.
14:17 - Britain's David Millar (Garmin-Cervelo) is on course now. He's an outside bet for victory today. He's already caught the chap in front of him, Farnese Vini's Oscar Gatto. What a ferocious pace from the Scot.
14:15 - It's a nice course this, through the cobbled streets of Milan. That said, it starts off in quite a gritty setting, so it's not until the closing moments when the beauty of the city arrives in all its splendour.
14:10 - It's a nice day in Milan, with the sun shining bright through the odd fluffy white cloud. Temperatures will hit a high of 28 degreed. Full Milan weather report
14:05 - Live coverage of this final time trial on Eurosport TV will start at 16:00 CET (15:00 GMT). There will be LIVE AUDIO online from the same time, starring the inimitable David Harmon and Sean Kelly. Until then, you can get live time updates and information here.
14:00 - Yesterday's stage was won by Movistar's Vasili Kiryienka, who rode clear from a 13-man breakaway on the penultimate climb of the day, the Cat.1 Colle delle Finestre, before riding solo to Sestriere. The Belarusian dedicated his win to former team-mate, the late Xavier Tondo. Report: Kiryienka remembers Tondo with win
26km - Rasmussen is also the current leader of the 10 riders who have already finished. His time is 30:20, 55 seconds ahead of the second-best time, set by Rabobank's Jos van Emden.
8.9km - Danish rider Alex Rasmussen (HTC) has the quickest time at the first check: 10:26. It's six seconds ahead of Cameron Meyer (Garmin-Cervelo).
13:55 - There are intermediate time checks at 8.9km and 19.1km.
13:50 - Riders are starting in reverse order at one minute intervals until the top 15, who will leave every three minutes. The top riders will not be on course until around 15:30 GMT.
13:45 - It's a pancake-flat course starting in the Fuera exhibition centre and ending in the Piazza Duomo. The final section of the route will be raced on red, white and green carpet - the colours of the Italian national flag - to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy.
13:30 - Today's course was shortened from the original 32km due to some local elections in Milan. Last week it was decided that the route would be altered because an extra police presence was needed to help out in the election to vote for the city's next mayor.
13:15 - Welcome to live comments of the final stage of this year's Giro d'Italia, a 26 kilometre individual time trial through the streets of Milan.
16:30 - Contador stands on the red, white and green carpet with his arms aloft to celebrate his 2nd Giro d'Italia win. What a three weeks from the Spaniard - he was by far the best ride by a long stretch.
26km - Millar takes victory today as Contador cruises home with his hands off his handlebars to set the 3rd best time, 36 down on Millar.
26km - Here comes Scarponi... he's done enough to keep his 2nd spot on the podium... he loses just 10 seconds on his compatriot Nibali, 31:41.
26km - Nibali sets the 10th best time, 1:18 down with 31:31.
26km - Gadret comes home in 68th, 2:51 down on Millar. It should be enough to save his 4th place in the GC.
16:24 - Still only 15 seconds separating Scarponi and Nibali, so the former will keep his 2nd place on the podium.
26km - Rodriguez comes home at 2:14. Probably enough to hold off Kreuziger...
16:22 - Nibali is giving it his all as the Milanese faithful chant his name...
26km - Rujano is down 2:25 at the finish, but that's enough to ward off Kreuziger.
18km - Relief for Millar: Contador seems to be tiring. He's 17 seconds down on Rasmussen's time at the second check. That means Millar has an 11 second advantage.
26km - Here's Roman Kreuziger... 1:29 down on Millar, but he will keep his place from Menchov.
26km - Terrible ride for Menchov, who comes over the finish a huge +2:03 on Millar.
18.1k - Nibali is in 9th place, 53 seconds down at the second check.
26km - Steven Kruijswich comes home in 16th, 1:31 down. Nieve comes soon after, and the Spaniard will lose his top 10 place to Siutsou tonight.
16:11 - Contador swerves a little to avoid a man-hole cover. He looks a delight on two wheels.
16:11 - Rujano is well down at the second check - almost two minutes it seems.
8.1km - Contador is going for the win, that's for sure: the Spaniard is -1 at the first check. Millar must be getting tense at the finish.
8.1km - Nibali was 13 down on Millar and Kreuziger 20 down at the first check.
8.1km - Nibali and Scarponi have come through the first check, and Nibali has 10 seconds over his rival.
26km - Euskaltel's Igor Anton well off the pace today, 89th position and almost four minutes down on Millar.
16:03 - It's a shame Contador isn't riding a pink bike today - although that may have been labouring a point somewhat.
16:00 - That Codol time, mentioned earlier, must have been a mistake because it hasn't been confirmed, and the Italian was no where near the leader board at any of the earlier intermediate checks. So, it's still Millar, Rasmussen at +7 and Porte at +43.
15:58 - Contador is fully decked out in pink today: jersey, shorts, shoes and glasses. Although his helmet is white...
15:57 - Now it's Alberto Contador, the maglia rosa. In fact, even the leaders are leaving at one minute intervals so expect some of them to be caught by each other.
15:56 - Now it's Scarponi, wearing the points classification red jersey and shorts, even if it's actually Alberto Contador who leads that competition...
26km - Garzelli comes home with the 38th best time, well off the pace.
15:54 - Of goes Vincenzo Nibali... the Liquigas has 56 seconds to make up if he wants to overtake compatriot Michele Scarponi and finish this race in 2nd place on the podium.
15:52 - Joaquim Rodriguez of Katusha and now John Gadret of AG2R are on course. So, just the top three to go now.
26km - Third fastest time for Massimo Codol at the finish - there's a surprise.
8.9km - Suitsou goes through the first check in 6th place, 18 seconds down on Millar's landmark time.
15:49 - No one coming anywhere near Millar's time at the moment.
15:48 - Jose Rujano of Colnago now. He'll hav to ride the ITT of his life to protect his 6th spot.
15:46 - Roman Kreuziger, the best young rider in this year's race, heads down the ramp. Both him and Menchov could move into the top five tonight - provided they ride well, and Rodriguez, Rujano and Gadret have a shocker.
15:45 - Aternatively, you can enjoy LIVE commentary with the mellifluous and dulcet tones of David Harmon and Sean Kelly, the true voices of cycling commentary, by clicking this link here
15:45 - The race is LIVE NOW on British Eurosport (Sky 410 / Virgin Media 521) and is also available on your PC via the Eurosport Player: Click here to subscribe
15:43 - Geox's Denis Menchov is down the ramp. Last time he did an ITT on the final stage of the Giro he was in pink... but he also crashed.
15:41 - So, Alberto Contador will ride around Milan with an unassailable 5:18 advantage on his way to securing a second Giro d'Italia triumph on Sunday. That much we can be certain. In fact, we can be certain of a lot - for instance, Fumiyuki Beppu will still be smiling and Steven Kruijswijk's surname will still be impossible to spell - but what can we be certain won't happen in world's fashion and design capital? Blazin' Saddles: What won't happen in Milan
15:40 - HTC's Kanstantsin Suitsou is on course now. He's not bad at time trials so may well give Millar a run for his Scottish pound.
26km - Ulissi finishes, and he still has Kiverlovski on his wheel. It's the 19th best time, 1:42 down on Millar.
15:35 - David Arroyo (Movistar) down the ramp. It's been quite a quiet Giro for the Spaniard...
15:29 - Stage winner Diego Ulissi (Lampre) catches and passes Astana's Robert Kiserlovski.
15:23 - On course now, Stefano Garzelli of Acqua & Sapone. The Italian won the green jersey for best climber in this year's race.
26km - Omega Pharma-Lotto's Sebastien Lang has had better days in the time trial saddle... The German comes home in 10th, 1:26 down.
26km - Danilo Di Luca's Giro concludes with a whimper, as the controversial former winner trickles home to set the 95th best time, 5:40 down on leader Millar. Good job he's riding for free, eh?
26km - Here comes Popo at the finish... and he's tailed off a little, 4th at 55 seconds.
8.9km - Yaroslav Popovych (RadioShack) has just set the second best time at the first check, just 3 seconds down on Millar.
15:05 - Stage 18 winner Eros Capecchi (Liquigas) catches Bruno Cherel (Ag2R). But the Frenchman stays in his slipstream for an age, prompting a motorbike commissaire to blow his whistle and force Cherel to stop hitching a lift.
15:00 - Off goes Giovanni Visconti in the yellow of Farnese Vini. The hot head Italian - who was stripped of the win in stage 17 following his push on compatriot Diego Ulissi (Lampre) - is not wearing his Italian national champion jersey because this is an ITT. HTC's Marco Pinotti would be in the Italian colours, but he had to retire from the race on Friday following a nasty crash in the wet weather.
26km - Here comes Richie Porte down the closing straight... or the closing few bends, I should say, seeing that it is a very winding and technical approach to the Duomo. The Saxo Bank tyro sets the best 3rd time, 43 seconds behind leader Millar. It's been a disappointing Giro for Porte, although the hoo-ha about Alberto Contador mustn't have helped. Porte's in pink shoes today - but that's the closest he came to re-experiencing last year's few days in the maglia rosa.
8.9km - Richie Porte, 7th overall last year but rather underwhelming this time round, is on course for Saxo Bank. The young Tasmanian has set the 5th best time at the first check, 18 seconds down on Millar.
26km - Konovalovas comes home 1:30 down in provisional 7th.
14:36 - Given Rasmussen's track pedigree, that's an outstanding effort from Millar - especially on the back of such a gruelling three week race.
26km - Millar looks masterful out there in the Milanese sun. He won't have time to catch a fourth rider out there, but this is a great ride. Here he comes to the final straight... and he's the new provisional leader, shaving seven seconds off Rasmussen's time to set a target of 30:13.
14:32 - Ignatas Konovalovas of Movistar looks pretty strong. Stef Clement (Rabobank) has just set the 6th best time. Rasmussen still leads - but Millar's effort will surely beat him.
14:28 - Millar almost rides into a scooter on that last tight bend. He's going very well as he hits the cobbled section. And here's the next rider he's going to pass: Alessandro Spezialetti of Lampre.
18.1k - Millar is six seconds down on Rasmussen at the second check. That's a surprise.
14:26 - Three riders just finished at the same time out there. Meanwhile, Millar has caught the next man in front of him - Vacansoleil's Freddie Veuchlen. The Dutchman was involved in the break yesterday, so it's understandable that he's riding more than two minutes down on the Brit.
8.9km - Millar roars through the first check 5 seconds faster than Rasmussen to take the lead. He'll be a tough one to beat today after taking the last few days very easily in preparation for this ITT.
14:17 - Britain's David Millar (Garmin-Cervelo) is on course now. He's an outside bet for victory today. He's already caught the chap in front of him, Farnese Vini's Oscar Gatto. What a ferocious pace from the Scot.
14:15 - It's a nice course this, through the cobbled streets of Milan. That said, it starts off in quite a gritty setting, so it's not until the closing moments when the beauty of the city arrives in all its splendour.
14:10 - It's a nice day in Milan, with the sun shining bright through the odd fluffy white cloud. Temperatures will hit a high of 28 degreed. Full Milan weather report
14:05 - Live coverage of this final time trial on Eurosport TV will start at 16:00 CET (15:00 GMT). There will be LIVE AUDIO online from the same time, starring the inimitable David Harmon and Sean Kelly. Until then, you can get live time updates and information here.
14:00 - Yesterday's stage was won by Movistar's Vasili Kiryienka, who rode clear from a 13-man breakaway on the penultimate climb of the day, the Cat.1 Colle delle Finestre, before riding solo to Sestriere. The Belarusian dedicated his win to former team-mate, the late Xavier Tondo. Report: Kiryienka remembers Tondo with win
26km - Rasmussen is also the current leader of the 10 riders who have already finished. His time is 30:20, 55 seconds ahead of the second-best time, set by Rabobank's Jos van Emden.
8.9km - Danish rider Alex Rasmussen (HTC) has the quickest time at the first check: 10:26. It's six seconds ahead of Cameron Meyer (Garmin-Cervelo).
13:55 - There are intermediate time checks at 8.9km and 19.1km.
13:50 - Riders are starting in reverse order at one minute intervals until the top 15, who will leave every three minutes. The top riders will not be on course until around 15:30 GMT.
13:45 - It's a pancake-flat course starting in the Fuera exhibition centre and ending in the Piazza Duomo. The final section of the route will be raced on red, white and green carpet - the colours of the Italian national flag - to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy.
13:30 - Today's course was shortened from the original 32km due to some local elections in Milan. Last week it was decided that the route would be altered because an extra police presence was needed to help out in the election to vote for the city's next mayor.
13:15 - Welcome to live comments of the final stage of this year's Giro d'Italia, a 26 kilometre individual time trial through the streets of Milan.
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