MADRID: Simon Yates won the Vuelta a Espana to complete a clean sweep of British victories in this year’s Grand Tours. The 26-year-old Michelton-Scott rider crossed the line safely in Madrid on Sunday to secure his first Grand Tour, with Spain’s Enric Mas second and Colombia’s Miguel Angel Lopez third. Britons Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas won the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France respectively this year. Elia Viviani claimed the 100km final stage of the Vuelta in a bunch sprint. In a chaotic run-in, the Italian edged out world champion Peter Sagan and Giacomo Nizzolo for his third stage win of the race. British riders have now won nine of the past 20 Grand Tours, a run that started when Sir Bradley Wiggins became the first Briton to win a Grand Tour with victory in the 2012 Tour de France. Only twice before have riders from the same country won all three races in the same season, but this is the first time it has been done by different cyclists. And Yates’ victory will be the fifth Grand Tour triumph in a row for Britain, with Froome having also won last year’s Tour and Vuelta. Published in Daily Times, September 17th 2018.