Alberto Contador wins 2014 Vuelta a Espana
Overall favourites ride final time trial cautiously in wet conditions; Adriano Malori wins stage
Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) won the 2014 Vuelta a Espana on Sunday, putting in a cautious ride on a wet time trial course in Santiago de Compostela to secure the victory.
There was no change to the upper order of the general classification on the final stage as a late rainstorm dampened the technical and cobbled roads. All of the main favourites gingerly picked their way through the course, not wishing to risk a crash.
Contador finished the time trial in 101st place, and Chris Froome (Sky) in 63rd place - both noticeably coasting through the final cobbled section to the line.
Froome ended the Vuelta in second place overall, one minute and 10 seconds behind Contador, with Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) in third at one minute and 50 seconds.
Adriano Malori (Movistar) capitalised on his solid run at the time trial course in dry conditions to take the final stage win ahead of Jesse Sergent (Trek) and Rohan Dennis (BMC).
John Degenkolb (Giant-Shimano) took the points classification, Luis Leon Sanchez (Caja Rural) topped the mountains classification and Contador won the all-round classification.
Contador's comeback
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Contador's performance during the 2014 Vuelta was unwavering in its strength, a remarkable feat after crashing out of the Tour de France in July in spectacular fashion and with a reported broken tibia. Just over a month later, and he looked to be in career-best form again as he won the two key mountain stages.
Froome, too, rode his way into peak form during the Vuelta having started the race still on the way back from recovering from double wrist injury after also crashing out of the Tour. By the final week's mountain stages, Froome was setting the pace, beating all but Contador. It means that Sky has completed the season without a single stage victory in all three of the Grand Tours.
The day was also notable for being British rider David Millar's final stage in a Grand Tour, as he retires at the end of the season. The Garmin-Sharp Scot finished in 97th place, one minute and 39 seconds down on Malori.
As one Brit finishes his Grand Tour career, another successfully started theirs - 22-year-old Adam Yates (Orica-GreenEdge) made it through to the end of his first Grand Tour outing in a respectable 82nd place overall.
Results
Vuelta a Espana 2014, stage 21: Santiago de Compostela 9.7km ITT
1. Adriano Malori (Ita) Movistar in 11-12
2. Jesse Sergent (NZl) Trek Factory Racing at 8 secs
3. Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing at 9 secs
4. Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Sky at 17 secs
5. Jimmy Engoulvent (Fra) Europcar at 17 secs
6. Sergei Chernetski (Rus) Katusha at 18 secs
7. Maciej Bodnar (Pol) Cannondale at 18 secs
8. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Astana at 18 secs
9. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek Factory Racing at 18 secs
10. Damien Gaudin (Fra) Ag2r at 18 secs
Other
63. Chris Froome (GBr) Sky at 1-13
101. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo at 1-40
Final overall classification
1. Alberto Contador (Spa) Tinkoff-Saxo
2. Christopher Froome (GBr) Sky at 1-10
3. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar at 1-50
4. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha at 3-25
5. Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana at 4-48
6. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) BMC Racing at 9-30
7. Daniel Martin (Irl) Garmin-Sharp at 10-38
8. Warren Barguil (Fra) Giant-Shimano at 11-50
9. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Cannondale at 12-50
10. Daniel Navarro (Spa) Cofidis at 13-02
Alberto Contador wins final Vuelta a Espana mountain test
Chris Froome attempts to put time into Alberto Contador in mountain finale, but Contador is too strong
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
-
Marianne Vos rides self-inflating tire system to UCI Gravel World Championship victory
Vos used a €3.898,00 wheelset with a kinetic compressor to win her first mixed surface rainbow jersey
By Joe Baker Published
-
Marianne Vos edges Lotte Kopecky in two-up sprint to seal first Gravel World Championships title
World road champion and multi-discipline star jumped clear with 50km to race in Flemish Brabant, setting up two-horse race for rainbow
By Flo Clifford Published