Alberto Contador receives hero's welcome on return to hometown

Hundreds of fans flocked to the Spanish town of Pinto to celebrate the return of Alberto Contador after his Giro d'Italia triumph.

El Pistolero sealed victory in the Italian tour on Sunday, finishing 1m53 ahead of Astana's Fabio Aru, and allowed himself an evening of celebration on Monday in Pinto town square.

In pictures published on his official website, Contador can be seen lofting the Giro's spiral trophy aloft and even taking a selfie in front of the hoards.

Contador didn't have it all his own way in the Giro, crashing and dislocating his shoulder on stage six, relinquishing his pink jersey to Aru on stage 13 and resisting a two-pronged Astana assault in the final week.

The Spaniard completed the first part of a potential Giro-Tour de France double, with his preparations for the latter half already underway.

He is scheduled to return to action at the Route du Sud, starting on June 18, before heading to the start of the Tour in Utrecht on July 4.