Valverde rides to Catalonia title

Not even a one-minute time penalty could stop a dominant Alejandro Valverde from winning his second Tour of Catalonia. Valverde secured the victory by finishing first in the 139-kilometre seventh stage Sunday, perfectly timing his final sprint at a hilltop overlooking Barcelona to beat Jarlinson Pantano of Colombia at the line. Valverde had received the penalty Wednesday after race officials ruled that some Movistar riders pushed one another in Tuesday’s team time trial. The Spaniard quickly rebounded, though, and stayed in control through the end of the race in northeastern Spain. Three-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome of Team Sky fell out of contention during Saturday’s stage.