Not content with coming back from a broken leg suffered at the 2014 Tour de France to win last year’s Vuelta a Espana, Alberto Contador is now defying the pain of a dislocated shoulder to lead the Giro d’Italia.

The Spaniard refused to admit defeat after hitting the ground hard, when a spectator appeared to take out Daniele Colli (Nippo-Vini Fantini) as the bunch sprinted for the finish line.

While some observers have accused Contador of over-exaggerating his injury, the Spaniard has clearly been in some discomfort, holding his left arm in an unnatural position on the bike and, on the the day after the crash, resting his arm on the centre of the handlebar.

But so far Contador has covered everything Fabio Aru (Astana) and Richie Porte (Team Sky) have thrown at him to hold on to his overall advantage, leaving the Spaniard, who took the leader’s jersey on stage five, still in pink on the first rest day and with a three-second advantage over Aru.

Exaggerated or not, Contador’s defiance shows just how serious he is about pulling off a Giro-Tour double and those doubting whether he will be able to dig deep in the final week of the Tour de France, on the back of his Italian exploits, may have to think again. Contador is undoubtedly one of the toughest riders in the peloton.

Then again, Contador’s biggest test so far at this year’s Giro – the 59.4km individual time trial on stage 14 – is still to come and may ultimately decide whether he is in a position to win the race. El Pistolero has already expressed concern about whether he will be able to hold his normal position on the bike for the test, so watch this space.