AudaciousAru claims Vuelta win

Fabio Aru claimed his first Grand Tour win yesterday when he was crowned winner of the Vuelta A Espana after an enthralling three-week battle with Dutchman Tom Dumoulin.

The latter looked imperious on Friday when he dropped Aru on the run-in to the finish in Avila, extending his advantage over the Italian to six seconds ahead of Saturday’s showdown.

However, Dumoulin’s dream ended on a disastrous penultimate day when he was dropped long before the finish and not only lost the race leader’s red jersey but slipped to sixth on General Classification.