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Froome beats Contador to win Tour of Andalucia
(MENAFN- Arab News) BARCELONA: Chris Froome came out on top in his battle with Alberto Contador to win the Tour of Andalucia on Sunday and start the season on a high.
Britain's Team Sky rider took overall victory in the fiveday race having finished sixth in the final 170km stage from Montilla down to the southern Spanish coast at Alhaurin de la Torre which was won by Juan Jose Lobato.
'So happy and relieved to have held on to this jersey today! Great start to the year thank you team' said Froome on Twitter.
Spaniard Contador who beat Froome to win the Tour of Spain last September was unable to make up the twosecond gap that separated him from the lead and finished in ninth place.
'I am very pleased with my preparations' Contador told reporters afterwards. 'The big goal for me is the Giro (d'Italia) and I am happy enough with my condition at the moment.'
The victory was set up by a spectacular performance on day four when Froome took the lead after finishing 29 seconds ahead of Contador who could not cope with the pace set by the Briton on the climb up the Alto de Allanadas.
'I had a good stage on Friday that put me in a strong position but then Froome also showed that he is in good form' said Contador. 'These kinds of battles though are good for the sport.'
In Sunday's final stage there was a breakaway by seven riders after the first 40 kilometers but the peloton kept in touch and began to rein them in with Froome and Contador both former Tour de France winners at the head of the chasing group.
Pole Maciej Paterski kept up the tempo and still held a lead of around 10 seconds going into the final 10 kilometers.
Valls waltzes to Tour of Oman victory
Spanish climbing specialist Rafael Valls experienced the greatest moment by far of his career in winning the Tour of Oman on Sunday as Matthias Brandle of Austria clinched the sixth and final stage.
Valls who seized control in winning the feature stage of the race the climb to the Green Mountain on Friday had a ninesecond advantage over American Tejay van Garderen while another Spaniard the experienced Alejandro Valverde was third overall 19 seconds adrift.
Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali scraped into the top 20 more than three minutes off the pace.
For 27yearold Valls it ended several years of angst and selfdoubt over whether he would ever prove himself at the highest level.
'These have been three dream days and this is the apotheosis' said Valls who was succeeding Britain's 2013 Tour de France winner Chris Froome the winner of the previous two editions of the race but who didn't compete this year.
'It is a reward for the past four or five difficult years that I have experienced.
'I have proved to myself that I can ride at the level I had before.
'It gives me a lot of confidence' added Valls whose only previous victory was a stage in the Tour of San Luis five years ago.
Britain's Team Sky rider took overall victory in the fiveday race having finished sixth in the final 170km stage from Montilla down to the southern Spanish coast at Alhaurin de la Torre which was won by Juan Jose Lobato.
'So happy and relieved to have held on to this jersey today! Great start to the year thank you team' said Froome on Twitter.
Spaniard Contador who beat Froome to win the Tour of Spain last September was unable to make up the twosecond gap that separated him from the lead and finished in ninth place.
'I am very pleased with my preparations' Contador told reporters afterwards. 'The big goal for me is the Giro (d'Italia) and I am happy enough with my condition at the moment.'
The victory was set up by a spectacular performance on day four when Froome took the lead after finishing 29 seconds ahead of Contador who could not cope with the pace set by the Briton on the climb up the Alto de Allanadas.
'I had a good stage on Friday that put me in a strong position but then Froome also showed that he is in good form' said Contador. 'These kinds of battles though are good for the sport.'
In Sunday's final stage there was a breakaway by seven riders after the first 40 kilometers but the peloton kept in touch and began to rein them in with Froome and Contador both former Tour de France winners at the head of the chasing group.
Pole Maciej Paterski kept up the tempo and still held a lead of around 10 seconds going into the final 10 kilometers.
Valls waltzes to Tour of Oman victory
Spanish climbing specialist Rafael Valls experienced the greatest moment by far of his career in winning the Tour of Oman on Sunday as Matthias Brandle of Austria clinched the sixth and final stage.
Valls who seized control in winning the feature stage of the race the climb to the Green Mountain on Friday had a ninesecond advantage over American Tejay van Garderen while another Spaniard the experienced Alejandro Valverde was third overall 19 seconds adrift.
Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali scraped into the top 20 more than three minutes off the pace.
For 27yearold Valls it ended several years of angst and selfdoubt over whether he would ever prove himself at the highest level.
'These have been three dream days and this is the apotheosis' said Valls who was succeeding Britain's 2013 Tour de France winner Chris Froome the winner of the previous two editions of the race but who didn't compete this year.
'It is a reward for the past four or five difficult years that I have experienced.
'I have proved to myself that I can ride at the level I had before.
'It gives me a lot of confidence' added Valls whose only previous victory was a stage in the Tour of San Luis five years ago.
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