Froome wraps historic Tour-Vuelta double
CHRIS Froome hailed his greatest athletic achievement after becoming just the third rider in history to win the Vuelta a Espana and Tour de France in the same year on Sunday.
Froome (pictured with the Vuelta trophy, AFP) beat four-time Grand Tour winner Vincenzo Nibali by 2min 15sec, with Russia’s Ilnur Zakarin completing the podium in the general classification, as Matteo Trentin claimed his fourth victory of the race on the 21st and final stage.
“I would say this victory is special because it is the first time anyone who has ever won the Tour de France and gone on to win the Vuelta a Espana starting less than one month apart,” Froome said.
The Briton joins Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil (1963) and Bernard Hinault (1978) as the only riders to win the Tour and Vuelta in the same year.
But Froome is the first man to win both races since the Vuelta was moved to after the Tour in the racing calendar in 1995. “That was a huge challenge from an athletic point of view to try and be at the top level for that long was such a big challenge,” he said.
Froome, a four-time time winner of the Tour de France, hadd previously finished runner-up p at the Vuelta on three occasions in 2011, 2014 014 and 2016.
Sprint risk
T he Te a m S k y r ider le d t he r ac e all the way from stageage t h re e t o Madr r i d t ha n k s to w i ns on stage ni ne a nd t he individual time trialia l on stage 16.
“To have been hereere for the past six years ears trying to win the Vuelta and being three times second it is such an amazing feeling to have eventually won this red jersey. It is really emotional, and at this moment I couldn’t be happier.” Trentin continued his domination of the few sprint stagessta of the three-week race after a 117.6 117.6km ride from Arroyomolinos to M Madrid, ending in a nine-lap cir circuit through the centre of the Spanish capital. Howev However, he was denied the green j jersey for the points classific classification by an insatiable Froom Froome, who sprinted to maint maintain his lead by finishing 1 11th on the stage. “It was a risk sprinting to get points for the gr green jersey,” Froome sa said. “There is a big risk of crashing in the final, bu but at the end of the da day I’m a bike racer and th there is a competition. ““It was probably the only chance in my career to ever win the points classification in a Grand Tour.”
Trentin was surprised by Froome’s tactics, but he was proud, as the only sprinter, to have competed for the jersey in a race filled with demanding mountain climbs.
“He told me he wanted to defend it and he did,” said Trentin. “With four victories I don’t have the jersey, it’s kind of a joke. It is a pity but I can survive.”
There was also an emotional send-off for Alberto Contador on his final day as a professional cyclist.
The three-time Vuelta winner signed off in style with victory on the steep mountain climb to Alto de l’Angliru on Saturday and was given the honour of leading the peloton around the first lap of the Madrid circuit.
A winner of seven Grand Tours, Contador is one of just six riders to have won all three of the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta.