Froome savours six-year journey to Vuelta a Espana crown

Chris Froome (Team Sky) crossed the finish line of the 2017 Vuelta a Espana’s last summit finish in third place but with a massive smile on his face as he savoured - finally - the absolute certainty that he is now just hours away from capturing Spain’s Grand Tour.

It’s been a six-year journey for Froome since he first hit the limelight of Grand Tour racing with a second place overall, a stage win and a day in the lead in the 2011 Vuelta a España. Now, in one fell swoop, on Sunday Froome will become Britain’s first winner of the Vuelta a España, the first British winner of a Grand Tour that is not the Tour de France, the first rider to clinch a Vuelta/Tour double since the Vuelta changed dates to September in 1995, and the first to do so, too, since Bernard Hinault in 1978.The Angliru marks the culmination of a tenacious pursuit by Froome of the overall Vuelta title, with three second places and a fourth preceding his long-sought victory, set for Sunday.

Sunday’s celebrations in Madrid, though, are still 24 hours away, and the last piece of the jigsaw fell into plce as Froome put in a solid defence of his lead on the Angliru. The doubts that los Machucos, the closest climb in terms of steepness prior to the Angliru, had produced about Froome’s potential condition on such difficult, rainsoaked ascents in the closing moments of a very long season, all ebbed away as Froome, guided by Sky team-mate Wout Poels, shed Vincenzo Nibali (Bahrain-Merida), who had crashed, with less than four kilometres to go.

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Ably guided by Poels, Froome’s counter-attack brought him to within 17 seconds of Contador and a third stage win either for himself or for the Dutchman. But with the even greater prize of a second Grand Tour victory in two months to celebrate, despite not taking the stage, Froome was understandably delighted on top of the Angliru with his achievements in this year’s Vuelta in general, and with how he had defended his lead in a rollercoaster third week in particular.

“It’s an absolutely incredible feeling, and what a way to end such a massive three weeks of racing, having completed the Tour-Vuelta double,” Froome said afterwards. “My thanks to everyone for the support of the last few weeks.”

There had been no gift wins to Contador in the finale, it emerged, with Froome and Poels pursuing the Spaniard as hard as they could to the line on the Angliru. In the end, Poels finished second, curiously enough just as he did on the Angliru back in 2011 when racing for Vancansoleil. “We gave it everything,” Froome said simply.

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