Quintana wins Tour of Catalonia ahead of Contador
BARCELONA, Spain — Nairo Quintana of Colombia held on to his lead over Alberto Contador to win the Tour of Catalonia for the first time on Sunday.
Quintana successfully defended his seven-second advantage over the Spaniard in Sunday’s final stage, an eight-lap ride through 136.4 kilometers (84.7 miles) up and down the Montjuic hill overlooking Barcelona.
Russian rider Aleksei Tsatevich won the seventh stage in a sprint with Primoz Roglic of Slovenia.
Movistar rider Quintana stayed close to Contador from the start on Sunday and his lead was never in jeopardy. He finished with the same seven-second advantage he carried into the closing stage.
Quintana took the overall lead in the Pyrenees on Thursday.
Daniel Martin of Ireland, the 2013 winner, finished third overall — 17 seconds behind Quintana.
Defending champion Richie Porte of Australia was fourth.
The weeklong race in northeastern Spain attracted some of cycling’s top riders, including Tour de France champion Chris Froome, who finished eighth overall, 46 seconds behind Quintana.
