Slovenian Roglic claims Vuelta a España triumph

Primoz Roglic became the first Slovenian to win a Grand Tour event as he triumphed at the Vuelta a España 2019 following Sunday's final stage in Madrid.

Despite crashing on stage 19, the 29-year-old took a lead of two minutes and 50 seconds over 39-year-old Alejandro Valverde into the106.6 kilometre procession from Fuenlabrada into the centre of the Spanish capital.

Valverde finished second overall, while Roglic's compatriot Tadej Pogacar came third following a stunning ride through the mountains that saw him win the penultimate stage 24 hours earlier.

Fabio Jakobsen got his second stage win of the 2019 event, edging out Sam Bennett after a thrilling sprint over the final three kilometres.

Roglic crossed with the peloton to celebrate a memorable double triumph, the Jumbo-Visma rider also finishing 19 points clear of Pogacar in the race for the green jersey.

Pogacar was top of the youth standings ahead of Miguel Angel Lopez, as Geoffrey Bouchard was crowned King of the Mountains.

With the leaders traditionally not challenged during the final stage, Roglic enjoyed a moment alongside his team-mates and shared a beer with his fellow podium-finishers in the ride into the centre of Madrid.

Daniel Martinez and Diego Rubio broke away from the pack with 43km to go but were caught on the penultimate lap of the inner-city circuit.

A packed chase for the line saw Jakobsen and Bennett separated by a photo finish, as the top 43 all finished with the same time.