CHRIS FROOME VIRTUALLY secured overall victory in the Vuelta a Espana on Saturday by extending his lead over Vincenzo Nibali, as Alberto Contador won the 20th queen stage in his final race before retirement.
Barring disaster in Sunday’s parade around the centre of Madrid, Froome, who now holds a lead of 2min 15secs over Nibali, will become just the third rider in history to win the Tour de France and Vuelta in the same year.
Home favourite Contador sealed a dream send-off by claiming the first stage win of the race by a Spaniard in a time of 3hr 31min 33sec for the 117.5km from Corvera de Asturias to Alto de l’Angliru.
A three-time former winner, Contador, 34, claimed his sixth career Vuelta stage victory as he distanced the race leaders at the start of the brutal climb up Angliru.
However, he just missed out on climbing onto the podium as he moved up to fourth overall.
Russia’s Ilnur Zakarin leapfrogged Dutch rider Wilco Kelderman into third.
Froome was again well protected by his Sky team in the chasing group behind, before attacking himself two kilometres from the finish line to take third on the stage behind teammate Wout Poels.
Nibali’s hopes of launching a challenge for the leader’s red jersey were undermined by a minor crash on a sharp descent before the climb to Angliru began as the Italian finished 34 seconds behind Froome in sixth.
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