Contador wins Vuelta
ByEurosport
Updated 15/09/2014 at 08:00 GMT
Spain's Alberto Contador capped a remarkable comeback from a broken leg with victory in the 69th edition of the Vuelta a Espana as Italian Adriano Malori won the final time trial in Santiago de Compostela.
Exactly two months after slumping into his Tinkoff-Saxo team car to quit the Tour de France in the Vosges mountains, 31-year-old Contador pumped his fist in celebration when cautiously completing a rain-affected stage 21 of the Vuelta.
It was Contador's third Vuelta crown after victories in 2008 and 2012 - and the Spaniard's sixth Grand Tour victory of his illustrious career.
Contador's winning margin over Britain's Chris Froome (Team Sky) was 1:10 while another Spaniard, Alejandro Valverde of Movistar, completed the podium a further 40 seconds off the pace.
The flat 9.7km race against the clock was won by Malori with a time of 11:12. New Zealander Jesse Sergent (Trek Factory Racing) and Australian Rohan Dennis (BMC) trailed Malori by eight and nine seconds respectively to secure second and third place in a subdued finale to the 69th edition of the race.
TINKOV PRAISE: Oleg Tinkov, the Russian billionaire and manager of Contador's Tinkoff-Saxo team, described his rider as a "hero" after he defied the odds to beat rival Froome - the 2013 Tour de France champion - in Spain.
After fracturing his right tibia during the July's Tour, Contador had initially ruled himself out of riding the Vuelta before committing less than a week ahead of the opening team time trial at Jerez de la Frontera.
"I did not expect for him to participate the Vuelta," Tinkov told Eurosport. "When I spoke to him a couple of weeks before he told me he would not go because the doctors had not allowed him. I didn't create any pressure for him - it was his decision because it was his health.
"But then on vacation I heard through the media that he had decided to go and it was a big surprise for me. I talked to [team manager] Bjarne Riis and we decided that perhaps he could go for one or two stages in the third week. But it appears that Alberto has recovered very fast and he was able to fight for general classification.
"I think he is a hero after what he has done - and I think next year we will be even better. We will be the best team in the world."
QUINTANA WITHDRAWAL: Contador took the race lead after the stage 10 individual time trial saw Colombian pre-race favourite Nairo Quintana (Movistar) crash badly to concede the red jersey.
Quintana crashed out of the race with a broken collarbone the next day as Contador went from strength to strength, winning two gruelling summit finishes in the final week - at La Farrapona and Puerto de Ancares.
By contrast, Froome struggled in the opening ITT and despite some solid performances in the mountains failed to win a stage after himself returning from the wrist and hand injuries that saw him crash out of the defence of his 2013 Tour title.
Spain's Joaquim Rodriguez - the Katusha rider who himself failed to win a stage in the Vuelta for the first time since 2009 - finished fourth overall, 3:25 down on Contador. Italian youngster Fabio Aru (Astana) - who followed his third place on the Giro with two superb stage wins in Spain - completed the top five at 4:48.
MALORI MAGIC: In the absence of time trial specialists Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara, the 26-year-old Italian underlined his credentials as their heir apparent with a solid win to cap a strong race for his Movistar team.
Although many had Malori down as Sunday's winner, the circumstances of the victory were unforeseen: a sudden downpour made the flag stones of Santiago slippery and difficult to negotiate, with many late runners riding with the hand-brake on simply to stay up on two wheels.
In fact, BMC's Australian youngster Dennis had set the best time at the halfway point - six seconds faster than Malori's effort. But heavy rainfall made things difficult for Dennis on the approach, the former Garmin-Sharp rider conceding 15 seconds over the last 4.7km and even crashing in dramatic fashion after he crossed the finish line.
Dennis, 24, dropped to third place, one second slower than 26-year-old Sergent of Trek and nine seconds down on the winner Malori.
Vasil Kiryienka (Team Sky) took fourth place at 17 seconds - tied for time with fifth-place Frenchman Jimmy Engoulvent (Team Europcar).
The rain has stopped and the sun come out by the time the top ten riders rolled down the ramp - but the wet roads, and in particular those slippery flag stones in the central square, made what could have been a fine spectacle a bit of a damp squib.
Valverde was the best placed rider of the GC favourites, the Spanish veteran coming home in 32nd place at 55 seconds to secure the white combined jersey.
Froome, looking to win a maiden Grand Tour stage win for Team Sky in what has been a troubled season for Sir Dave Brailsford's outfit, had to settle for 63rd place at 1:13 - finishing 27 seconds faster than Contador, who eased up as he approached the city centre amid cries from the jubilant crowd.
For the first time since 1993 the Vuelta eschewed a traditional finish in Madrid with the race organisers eager to celebrate the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis of Assisi's visit to the famous pilgrimage city in Galicia, northern Spain. It was also the first time since 2004 that the race has finished without a road stage for the sprinters.
DEGENKOLB, SANCHEZ AND KATUSHA CROWNED: Germany's John Degenkolb (Giant-Shimano) won the green jersey thanks to an impressive haul of four stage wins to become the first sprinter since Mark Cavendish in 2011 to win the race's points classification.
Spaniard Luis Leon Sanchez (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) won the polka dot jersey as the race's best climber while Katusha secured the team classification despite failing to win a stage throughout the three weeks.
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