Cycling: Contador completes sweep of major tours

Alberto Contador, of Spain, won the Vuelta yesterday, completing a sweep of cycling's three major races after capturing the Giro d'Italia this year and the Tour de France last year.

The Astana rider achieved the feat in a record 15 months, beating Bernard Hinault's previous mark of 26 months. Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil and Felice Gimondi also won cycling's three top races.

"The truth is I'm still not fully conscious of what I have achieved," Contador said. "Perhaps with the passage of time, I'll be able to savour it."

"I'm still not thinking about it too hard, although I'm really happy to have achieved this," the 25-year-old added. "I just want to go on winning races, and now I've taken the three biggest victories that a rider with my particular talents can win.

"I'm always going to be the rider to beat in every event I take part in, but I'm not too worried about that. I'm not obsessed with success."

Contador finished the Tour of Spain in Madrid yesterday in 80 hours, 40 minutes, 23 seconds. He beat team-mate Levi Leipheimer, of the United States, by 1min 1sec. Carlos Sastre, who won this year's Tour de France was third, 4:31 behind.

In yesterday's 21st and final stage, Contador finished in 50th place, 15sec behind Matti Breschel, of Denmark. Breschel sprinted ahead of a leading pack of 48 riders to win the 102.2-kilometre (63.5-mile) stage from San Sebastian de los Reyes to Madrid's central Castellana Boulevard in 2:44:39. Alexandre Usov, of Belarus, took second, just ahead of Italy's Davide Vigano.

World and Olympic time-trial champion Fabian Cancellara said yesterday he would not take part in this week's world cycling championships in Varese, Italy, because he was feeling tired.

"After my success in Beijing, I have not been able to find enough energy to keep myself motivated," Cancellara said. "I don't have enough energy to take part in the world championships and try to defend my title."

Cancellara won time- trial gold at the last two world championships and in Beijing. He also took bronze in the road race at the Beijing Olympics. The world championships start tomorrow.