Madrid
Dutch veteran Annemiek van Vleuten added the Challenge by La Vuelta, the women’s tour of Spain to her collection of titles as the race ended in Santiago de Compostela on Sunday.
Belgian Lotte Kopecky won the fourth and final stage, a 104km ride from As Pontes after edging Italian Elisa Longo Borghini in a two-woman sprint for the line.
The 38-year old Van Vleuten, who rides for Movistar, finished 16 seconds back in the fractured pack alongside her closest challenger Marlen Reusser to preserve a 1min 34sec lead over the Swiss rider.
Another Swiss rider Elise Chabbey was third at 03:12. Van Vleuten won the second and third stages of the four-day race after solo breaks. On Saturday she crossed the line 2min 48sec ahead of her closest pursuer.—APP