Two months after breaking his leg, Alberto Contadaor wins third tour title in Spain

Contador finished 1 minute 40 seconds behind the last stage winner Adriano Malori on a rain-soaked course and took few chances.

Alberto Contador of the Tinkoff Saxo team celebrates after crossing the finish line. Javier Lizon / EPA

Alberto Contador won his third Vuelta a Espana title as Italian Adriano Malori took victory in the final stage’s 9.7-kilometre time trial in Santiago de Compostela yesterday.

Contador finished 1 minute 40 seconds behind Malori on the rain-soaked course and took few chances.

Though he lost 27 seconds to Chris Froome, he did enough to add to his 2008 and 2012 Vuelta victories, taking his grand tour successes to six.

New Zealander Jesse Sergent and Australia’s Rohan Dennis were second and third on the stage. But the day belonged to Contador, a Spaniard whose gritty win in Saturday’s 20th stage at Puerto de Ancares sealed an incredible triumph.

Less than two months ago, he broke his leg in a crash that forced him out of the Tour de France.

Neither he nor Froome managed a particularly impressive final stage, but that was mostly down to the weather.

While Malori, the Italian time-trial champion, set off and came home in 11:12 under blue skies, sunshine and on a dry course, that was not the case for everyone.

A torrential downpour seriously hampered the middle order, and by the time the favourites set off at the end, the roads were still wet, making the tricky, technical course treacherous.

Meanwhile, Dutch rider Dylan van Baarle won the Tour of Britain yesterday, holding onto the lead despite a strong time trial by former champion Bradley Wiggins on a final day featuring two stages in central London. Van Baarle finished 10 seconds clear of Poland’s Michal Kwiatkowski. Wiggins was third, a further 12 seconds back.

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