"Flat but full of traffic roundabouts. We rode all day in the front to avoid any misfortune."

Those were the words of Fabio Aru after stage 13 at the Giro d'Italia. Aru began the day in second place, 17 seconds back from the top step, but after a late-race semi-serious crash temporarily stopped General Classification leader Alberto Contador, Aru took the leader's Maglia Rosa and now leads the Giro d'Italia by 19 seconds.

With teammates Mikel Landa and Dario Cataldo, Astana Pro Team now occupies 1st, 3rd and 5th overall before the long individual time trial on Saturday.

Stage 13 began with some expected rain showers, but finished dry on a completely flat profile with an expected mass sprint finish. Aru finished four seconds behind stage winner Sacha Modolo of Italy.

The first 30km of Saturday's much-anticipated individual time trial stage from Treviso to Valdobbiadene will be flat, but the final 29km are hilly and challenging.

"I got close to the Maglia Rosa a few days ago, but I didn't quite manage to take it," Aru said. "Sadly, today's stage was easy on paper, but the weather and the complicated final kilometres made it very difficult. We knew we had to ride at the front and my team kept me up there, and as a result I managed to avoid the fall.

"Anything can happen in stages like this, and today it went well for me. I feel sorry for Alberto, but we were ahead when the fall happened and, in 21 days, everything can happen: there are days when you don't feel too well, like I was two days ago, but I'm still there, and, as I say, in the days to come, anything can happen. 

"I don't know how tomorrow will go because I've worked differently than ever before on my time trialling. The route is unusually long and, after 13 very hard stages, in a Giro that was hot at the start, and has been wet for the past few days, your body feels the fatigue. I'll just have to see what energy I have for the time trial. I'll be able to tell you tomorrow. The advantage I have is that Alberto will start before me although, in a time trial, you ride at 100% anyway, so it all depends on how much energy you have. Wearing this jersey is bound to help.

"Yesterday I made a mistake, because I was a bit empty at the end, but there was nothing I could do about it because by the time you realise, 5km from the finish, that you have low sugar, it's too late to do anything about it. But I didn't get depressed about it because these things can happen to anyone, experienced or not.

"I'm just trying to give it everything, while bearing in mind that Alberto Contador is a great champion who has won everything in this sport, and I'm no one, so just to be in the fight with someone like him is a huge motivation. In a three-week race you can have bad days. I try to learn from them, and the important thing is to keep working along this road because the Giro d'Italia ends Sunday in Milan."