Stage 21

The road

At the start

Ten kilometres in Santiago

The Vuelta ends with a time trial for the first time in a decade, and away from Madrid for the first time since 1993: 9.8 kilometres around Santiago de Compostela, finishing where the Camino does. Alberto Contador took the Ancares and leads Chris Froome by 1:37 and Alejandro Valverde by 2:35. The gaps are far too large to overturn; the flagstoned corners are the only danger left.

How it was won

1. 15 km to go

   The heavens open at the checkpoint

   Malori sets his time early on a dry, tricky city circuit; minutes later the rain drenches Santiago. Dennis is five seconds up at the 5km check, has to ease off in the second half, and still goes down on the slick flagstones near the finish.

2. 2At the line

   Malori bookends Movistar's Vuelta

   Nobody gets near the Italian's ride: eight seconds over Sergent, nine over a battered Dennis. As the road dries the GC men come out and none of them dares empty himself on the corners — and Alberto Contador rolls to the line to seal his third Vuelta a España.

The result