Simon Yates crowned La Vuelta champion as Britain make Grand Tour cycling history

The 26-year-old Bury racer, whose success was all but guaranteed as he headed into Sunday's largely processional final stage into Madrid with a one minute and 46 seconds lead, avoided any late mishaps to land his first Grand Tour title.

Victory for the Mitchelton-Scott rider followed success for Chris Froome at the Giro d'Italia and for Geraint Thomas at the Tour de France to complete an unforgettable year for British cycling.

Never before have three riders from the same country won all three of cycling's biggest races in the same year while Britain have now won five Grand Tours in a row, with Froome also winning the Tour de France and Vuelta in 2017.

Elia Viviani out-sprinted Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) to win stage 21 after a flat 100.9 kilometres ride from Alcorcon, while Yates retained his advantage over Spain's Enric Mas, Viviani's team-mate at Quick-Step Floors, in the final general classification standings.

And the day belonged firmly to the man in red, who has recovered from the disappointment of running out of gas at the Giro after holding the race leader's pink jersey for 13 days to triumph in Spain.

Those punishing three weeks may have ended in heartache, but they proved Yates, who won the young rider classification at last year's Tour de France, had what it takes to contend in Grand Tours - and he delivered at the very next opportunity.

Yates' coronation also gave Britain its third Grand Tour champion, while it was also the fifth Grand Tour win in a row by a British rider, Froome having completed a Tour-Vuelta double last year.

Yates said: "It's astonishing really. Growing up I was so accustomed to seeing the French, Italian and Spanish riders lead the way, so for myself, Chris and Geraint to all win a Grand Tour in the same year just shows how far the sport has come in this country."

Froome paid tribute to Yates' achievement, saying: "Simon has looked so strong over the last three weeks and it's great to see him take home the maillot rojo. It's been a perfect year for British riders."

Simon Yates: Five things

Brotherly Love

Don't confuse Simon with his twin brother Adam - something the people controlling the graphics for the Tour de France this summer managed to do when Simon was not even competing. The pair have followed different paths in their careers, and though they are team-mates with Mitchelton-Scott, this year's Vuelta is a rare case of them competing in the same race - to the extent they say they rarely see each other through the year.

Bred on the track

The Yates twins were first introduced to cycling by their father, who took them the short distance from home in Bury to the Manchester Velodrome. They quickly caught the bug and were soon racing for Eastlands Velo and Bury Clarion. Simon's talent saw him selected for British Cycling's academy and he excelled on the track, winning the Madison at the UCI Junior Track World Championships alongside Dan McLay in 2010, and the points race in the Track World Championships in 2013. But the road continued to call, and after an outstanding stage victory in the 2013 Tour of Britain, he joined Adam in signing for their current team, then known as Orica-GreenEDGE, in 2014.

Grand Tour record

Yates made his Grand Tour debut as a late selection for the 2014 Tour de France, which started in Yorkshire, with the 21-year-old given a brief simply to go out and gain experience. He got himself in two breakaways before making a planned withdrawal on the second rest day. Yates returned the following year and made it to Paris, finishing 89th. A year later he focused on La Vuelta and took victory on stage six on his way to sixth place overall. It was back to the Tour in 2017 when he emulated his brother's achievement of 12 months before in winning the young riders' classification, finishing seventh overall. But things have snowballed quickly in 2018, starting with the Giro d'Italia in May. Yates rode an aggressive race and held the race leader's pink jersey for 13 days before running out of gas on stage 19 as Chris Froome launched the spectacular long-range attack which carried him to victory. Yates said he learned plenty of lessons which he has carried into La Vuelta.

Doping ban

In 2016, Yates tested positive for the banned substance terbutaline during Paris-Nice in April. Yates' team claimed full responsibility, saying the team doctor had failed to apply for a therapeutic use exemption for his asthma inhaler - an explanation accepted by the sport's world governing body the UCI as he was subsequently handed a four-month ban for "non-intentional doping".

Bury boys no more

Though they honed their talents in the Pennine hills around home in Bury, both Yates twins have left Lancashire behind and make their home in Andorra, putting the Pyrenean mountains on their doorstep. Though he still makes the odd trip home, do not expect to see Yates out and about in Bury too often. "The UK is not a great place to train," he said in July. "It rains all the time. It's quite dangerous. The roads are in terrible condition. You compare that to Andorra, it's hard to go back there and think, 'I love it here'. It just makes life more difficult, because my life is cycling."