Simon Yates on Sunday won the Vuelta a Espana title to complete an unprecedented hat-trick of British Grand Tour winners this year.
Yates, 26, successfully defended his lead of 1 minute, 46 seconds over second-placed Enric Mas of Quick-Step Floors in the final stage of the 21-day race, a mostly processional 100.9km ride through Madrid, where Italian Elia Viviani of Quick-Step Floors took a third stage win of this year’s race by pipping Peter Sagan of Bora-Hansgrohe in a bunch sprint.
Colombian Miguel Angel Lopez of Astana finished third overall, 2 minutes, 4 seconds behind.
Photo: EPA
Yates delivered a first Grand Tour victory for the Australian-owned Mitchelton-Scott team and completed a cycle of British victories in the three Grand Tours this year after Chris Froome won the Giro d’Italia in May and Geraint Thomas captured the Tour de France in July.
“It’s astonishing really,” Yates told the British Cycling Web site. “Growing up I was so accustomed to seeing the French, Italian and Spanish riders lead the way, so for myself, Chris and Geraint to all win a Grand Tour in the same year just shows how far the sport has come in this country. It hasn’t happened by accident and I’m so thankful to everybody who has been part of the journey.”
Last year’s Vuelta winner Froome, who like Thomas sat out the final Grand Tour of the year to race the Tour of Britain, added: “Simon has looked so strong over the last three weeks and it’s great to see him take home the red jersey. It’s been a perfect year for British riders.”
Simon Yates, who counted on the support of twin brother Adam in his team, became the virtual winner of the Vuelta after finishing third in Saturday’s penultimate stage in the mountains of Andorra, making up for his collapse toward the end of the Giro after wearing the leader’s maglia rosa in 13 stages.
“I want to thank my team and my family. I have had some difficult times in the last few years and they were always there,” added Simon Yates, who was subject to a four-month ban in 2016 for testing positive for the drug terbutaline, which he uses to treat his asthma.
His team said they were responsible for an administrative error in not applying for a therapeutic use exemption for the substance.
“It’s been an unbelievable day. I really just enjoyed the moment, I don’t know what else you can do in those situations,” Simon Yates said. “When I turned professional I signed with the team and we had a really big ambition to win a Grand Tour and now we’ve achieved that. I put the hard work in, I persisted with the training and everything else that goes with it, and now we’re here.”
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