Quintana wraps up Vuelta a Espana title

ON CLOUD NINE: Winner of the Vuelta 2016 Movistar's Colombian cyclist Nairo Quintana celebrates on the podium of the last stage of the 71st edition of "La Vuelta" Tour of Spain, a 104.8km route Las Rozas to Madrid, on Sunday. (AFP)

MADRID: Colombia’s Nairo Quintana held off Tour de France champion Chris Froome to win the Vuelta a Espana in Sunday’s traditional procession around Madrid.
Quintana beat out Froome for the first time in six Grand Tours when both have finished the race by 1min 23sec with another Colombia Esteban Chaves completing the podium.
Denmark’s Magnus Cort Nielsen won the 21st stage in a sprint finish for the 104.8km ride that started in Las Rozas on the outskirts of the Spanish capital before a 10-lap circuit through the center of Madrid.
Victory is Quintana’s second in a Grand Tour after the 2014 Giro d’Italia and was celebrated wildly by thousands of Colombian fans on the streets around the finish line.
There was also revenge for Quintana, who has twice finished second to Froome at the Tour de France and was third as the Brit sealed his third Tour title in July.
Quintana had suffered from allergies during the Tour, but having skipped the Olympics unlike Froome, who picked up a bronze medal in the time trial, he was the fresher rider for the gruelling three-week tour which included 10 summit finishes in searing Spanish summer heat.
The Movistar rider built up a near one-minute lead over Froome with victory on stage 10.
However, his major move came on stage 15 when an early attack left Froome isolated as Quintana finished second on the stage to extend his lead to a huge 3min 37sec.
Froome responded by storming to a time trial win on stage 19 to cut the gap by 2min 16sec.
However, Froome could only applaud as Quintana staved off his attempts to breakaway on Saturday’s penultimate stage before crossing the line two seconds in front of his rival.

Cummings completes victory in Tour of Britain
Steve Cummings safely navigated the final stage of the Tour of Britain to secure overall victory in the race in London on Sunday.
Dimension Data rider Cummings, 35, was runner-up in 2008 and 2011 and became only the second Briton to win the race since its 2004 rebrand after Bradley Wiggins in 2013.
He finished in the peloton as Australia’s Caleb Ewan prevailed in a sprint finish at Piccadilly Circus after a 16-lap, 100 kilometers course.
“I’m delighted. Finally I can smile and enjoy it,” Cummings said, in comments published on the BBC website.
“It’s been a tough week. It was so close that it wasn’t done until I crossed the line.
“I’d to thank all my team-mates for keeping me out of trouble and the British public for supporting every day like they have. It’s been a great week.”
Australia’s Rohan Dennis came second overall, 26 seconds off the pace, with Dutchman Tom Dumoulin third.
Victory continues a fine year for Cummings, who claimed stage victories in the Tirreno-Adriatico, the Tour of the Basque Country, the Criterium du Dauphine and the Tour de France.
He assumed the overall lead with an eight-place finish on stage six and preserved his advantage on the last stage despite having lost time the day before.
Dutch rider Jasper Bovenhuis won the sprint classification, Belgian Xandro Meurisse was the best climber and Dylan Groenewegen of the Netherlands won the points classification.
Team Sky won the prize for best team.