Colombian Nairo Quintana kept Tour de France champion Chris Froome at bay to virtually seal the Vuelta a Espana on Saturday with just Sunday’s procession around the streets of Madrid to come.
Froome, aiming to become the first man in 38 years to do the Tour-Vuelta double, applauded as Quintana crossed the line on the 193.2km stage from Benidorm to Alto de Aitana two seconds ahead of him to extend his lead to 1min 23sec.
Quintana’s compatriot Esteban Chaves made the most significant move on the penultimate stage by leapfrogging Alberto Contador onto the podium after an attack 50km from the finish saw him gain 1min 24sec on the three-time Vuelta champion.
Frenchman Pierre-Roger Latour won the stage from Colombia’s Darwin Atapuma and Italian Fabio Felline in a time of 5hrs 19mins 41secs. –Â Agence France-Presse
