MADRID, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Promoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) was crowned as the winner of the 74th Vuelta de Espana cycle race in Madrid on Sunday.
The Slovenian finished over two minutes and 16 seconds ahead of second-placed Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), while Roglic's fellow countryman - 20-year-old Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Emirates) finished in third place and took the white jersey for the best young rider after his exceptional stage win on Sunday.
Roglic is the first Slovenian to ever win one of the three Grand Tours (Italy, France and Spain) and his results compensates for his disappointment earlier in the year when he was leading the Giro de Italia only to run out of steam in the closing stages
The 21st and final stage of the Vuelta was the shortest of the race (with the exception of the time trials) and took the riders 105 kilometers from the town of Fuenlabrada to the south of the Spanish capital, to the center of Madrid, where the race finished with several circuits of the city center.
After a slow start to the day, Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick Step) won the sprint finish to claim Sunday's 21st stage, beating Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) over the line by around half a bike length moments before Roglic and his team rolled over the line to start their celebrations.
