Chris Froome joined the pantheon of cycling greats on Sunday as he secured his first Vuelta a Espana victory, becoming the first rider since Frenchman Bernard Hinault in 1978 to win the Tour de France and Vuelta in the same season.
Frenchman Jacques Anquetil also did the double in 1963 although the Briton is the first man to win both since the Vuelta was shifted from its old start date of late April to late August, when temperatures in Spain are at their most unforgiving.
Even though Froome has dominated the Tour de France in recent times, with four wins in five years and three victories in a row, he has long talked about having unfinished business in the Vuelta, the race where he first made his name in 2011.
“I think it probably is my greatest achievement, being the first person to win the Tour de France and then go on to win the Vuelta,” Froome said.
“I have to say that is probably the toughest Grand Tour I’ve ever ridden. There was something different happening every day. I’ve had good days and then I’ve been lying on the ground, bleeding, thinking my race might be over.
“It’s been a rollercoaster –- absolutely relentless.”
Froome missed out on the top prize in 2016 after a disastrous team display in stage 16 in Formigal, which lead to a radical makeover in the squad for this year’s Vuelta with only Christian Knees keeping his place along with the Briton.
This time Sky expertly shepherded Froome through the race, with Gianni Moscon and Wout Poels proving particularly valuable.