The 2008 edition of the Vuelta a Espana finished on Sunday with victory going to pre-race favourite Alberto Contador of Team Astana.  He now joins a select club of 5 who have won all three Grand Tours; Jacques Anquetil, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault.

Contador took the Tour de France crown in 2007 but was excluded by organisers ASO from the 2008 version.  He was also set to miss the Giro D’Italia but was given a last minute invite 8 days before the off.  Contador huridly left the beach resort he was holidaying at to head to Italy and started the Tour with minimal preparation.  That didn’t stop him from winning the Giro.  Next up was the Olympics where he worked for team mate and Gold medal winner Samuel Sanchez.  Contador made his move mid way through the Vuelta utilising his team mates to work the peloton over and surge ahead to take the overall on the slopes of the formidable Alto de l’Angliru climb.  From there it was maintenance as Astana protected him and the lead to the finish line in Madrid.

Second place went to teammate Levi Leipheimer who must now be thinking he could go one better out from under the shadow of his teammate.  Leipheimer finished a mere 46 seconds behind Contador.  He remains under contract with Astana for one more year.  Interestingly without the time bonuses for stage wins the two teammates would have tied.

In third place was current Tour champion Carlos Sastre of CSC-Saxo Bank with a deficit of 4 minutes 12 seconds to the golden jersey.  3rd place marks a great season for the Spaniard who has ridden well all year even if he has had problems with his team.  He and team manager Bjarne Riis have fallen out over Sastre’s move to Cervelo for 2009 and they are said to be not even speaking.  Sastre went public last week saying that Riis was trying to divide the team.

Silence-Lotto rider Greg van Avermaet of Belgian won the sprinter’s jersey and Cofidis rider Davide Moncoutié of France took the king of the mountains jersey.

Irishman Nicolas Roche finished an excellant thirteeth overall with many great rides during the Vuelta.  Indeed he just missed out on a stage win by millimetres on stage 18 and is being mentioned as a future GC man at the age of 24.

Final General classification
 
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana                                80.40.08
2 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana                                             0.46
3 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC - Saxo Bank                          4.12
4 Ezequiel Mosquera Miguez (Spa) Xacobeo Galicia                           5.19
5 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne                       6.00
6 Joaquin Rodriguez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne                                 6.50
7 Robert Gesink (Ned) Rabobank                                             6.55
8 David Moncoutié (Fra) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone                 10.10
9 Egoi Martinez De Esteban (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi                      10.57
10 Marzio Bruseghin (Ita) Lampre                                          11.56

13 Nicolas Roche (Irl) Crédit Agricole                                    13.41