Alberto Contador collects overall title at 2015 Route du Sud
Giro d'Italia champ Alberto Contador wraps up the overall title at the Route du Sud with Tour de France rival Nairo Quintana second
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GAILLAC, France (AFP) — Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) collected the Route du Sud crown on Sunday as Bryan Coquard (Europcar) won the final stage.
Contador, who won last month’s Giro d’Italia, assumed the overall lead at the Route du Sud on Saturday, attacking rival Nairo Quintana on a descent and taking a 17-second advantage over the Movistar rider.
Both are expected to contend for the title in the 2015 Tour de France, which begins July 4.
The final 167km stage from Revel to Gaillac was marked by a 10-man break that came to naught 3km from the finish. Coquard proved fastest in the finale, out-kicking Lorenzo Manzin (FDJ) and Leonardo Fabio Duque (Colombia).
In the end, Contador had the victory by 17 seconds with Quintana second and Pierre-Roger Latour (Ag2r La Mondiale) third. But he’s already turned his thoughts toward Paris in July.
“I’m happy with this victory at the Route du Sud but this doesn’t change anything in view of the Tour de France,” Contador said. “We still have another 13 days until the start of the Tour de France and I will keep my focus on my preparation, in order to reach the start in the best shape possible.”