Alberto Contador has the legs – even if one of them’s a bit skeggy and slightly knackered

I can only presume that having prepared for the Vuelta by riding around with a fractured leg and a huge infected wound, racing Chris Froome up a mountain suddenly seems like a pain-free doddle for Alberto Contador.

In the pantheon of Grand Tour suffering, it’s not quite up there with Tyler Hamilton grinding his teeth down to the roots to distract himself from the pain of his broken collarbone, but the win says a lot about Contador’s character. The main thing it says is: this bloke is a bit of a nutcase – don’t try and race him on a bike.

The final climb of the race boiled down to the two leaders. Contador was strongest. He will win the Vuelta.

Carlos Betancur watch

Still second-to-last.

Stage 21

A weird finish to a Grand Tour – a time trial, but a really short one. At 9.7km time gaps will be small.