Colombia’s Nairo Quintana won the Tirreno-Adriatico after Fabian Cancellera claimed the seventh and final stage time-trial in San Benedetto del Tronto on Tuesday.
Quintana, last year’s Giro d’Italia champion, had taken possession of the overall leader’s blue jersey in Sunday’s mountaintop victory in the snow.
And the Movistar rider held on to his lead after the closing stage’s 10 kilometre race-against-the-clock to finish 18sec clear of Dutch rival Bauke Mollema in the standings.
The success of Quintana, runner-up in the 2013 Tour de France, augurs well for the rest of the season after the second half of last year was disrupted by an injury suffered in the Tour of Spain.
For Swiss former world and Olympic time-trial specialist Cancellera, this 50th stage win of his career set him up for his latest assault on Sunday’s Milan-SanRemo. He is hoping to go one better after finishing second on three of the last four editions of the one-day classic.
Cancellera came in 4sec clear of Adriano Malori, who had relegated the Swiss classics specialist into second in the opening 5.4km time trial prologue last Wednesday. Quintana finished in 55th on Tuesday, 55sec behind the stage winner.
Two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, in fifth overall, and Italy’s reigning Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali (16th) are still some way off top form. – Agence France-Presse
