Chris Froome has become just the third man to win the Tour de France and La Vuelta in the same year, and the first since the Vuelta moved from the early part of the season to the latter in 1995.
In almost a carbon copy of his fourth Tour de France win earlier this year, Froome built an early lead in Spain and Team Sky were able to fend off the attacks of his rivals to see it home, with Froome able to extend his advantage on the penultimate stage.
Despite only a 27-day gap between the end of the Tour and start of the Vuelta, Froome proved too strong for his rivals and joined the company of Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as Vuelta-Tour winners in the same year.
Froome becomes the first British rider to win La Vuelta and he toasted the achievement with a glass of cava in the saddle, handed him by a motorcycle camera crew during the 117.6km 21st and final stage.
The Team Sky rider finished two minutes and 15 seconds clear of second-placed Italian Vincenzo Nibali, with Russia's Ilnur Zakarin third. Ireland's Nicolas Roche finished in 14th position.
