It was a Vuelta a España result that hardly any were able to predict, and not just that two British riders finished on the podium of a Grand Tour for the first time. Most of the race, and certainly the final general classification, did not go the way that many expected.
Riders who were supposed to be the protagonists in the Vuelta three weeks ago were nowhere to be found near the top of the podium today. Big names like returning champion Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale), Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD), Igor Anton (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha), and Janez Brajkovic (Radioshack) finished outside the top five overall.
Juan Jose Cobo (Geox-TMC) was crowned the champion in Madrid, when prior to the race, he was expected to act primarily as help in the mountains for team leader Denis Menchov. But when Cobo proved to be the strongest climber in the race, Geox-TMC changed their tactics.
Similar things happened at Team Sky with the emergence of Christopher Froome. The 26-year-old Kenyan-born British citizen had shown flashes of ability during two years as a professional with Team Barloworld. He made enough of an impression on management at Sky Procycling that he was brought in to help new team leader Bradley Wiggins at the beginning of last year.
However for two seasons he was performing below par due to a rare parasitical infection called bilharza. That condition was treated in June and he believes his improvement is largely down to overcoming that.
When Wiggins broke his collarbone at this July’s Tour de France, he made his comeback to racing at the Vuelta, with his eye on the overall title. Froome proved to be valuable help during a mountainous first week, and as the race wore on, Froome kept getting better.
“It was a breakthrough performance for Chris Froome,” team manager Dave Brailsford said in Madrid, after his rider had received his trophy for finishing second overall. “We’ve always known from training that Chris produces fantastic power and great numbers. He’s done that back-to-back in a consistent way over the three weeks here.”
Emerging as a Grand Tour contender
In the first week, Froome was a super-domestique for Wiggins, surviving to the top of climbs when riders like Nibali and Rodriguez were dropped. 
After a fantastic runner-up result in the individual time trial on stage ten, he moved into the leader’s red jersey. Pledging to continue to work for Wiggins, Froome came through on his promise, and Wiggins himself would take over the lead after stage eleven.
When Cobo secured the lead after an impressive performance on the vaunted Angliru, and with Wiggins cracking, the dynamic at Sky evened out. Wiggins was forced to hold off Bauke Mollema (Rabobank) for third in the final week, and it was Froome who put Cobo on his limit, and on the verge of losing his red jersey.
The rider who finished 81st at the Tour de France for Barloworld in 2008 nearly cracked Cobo at the end of stage seventeen, and though he couldn’t pull the jersey off the Spanish climber, a consolation was his first win as a professional. Though he came up short in his bid to steal the win, Froome was beyond pleased at the finish in Madrid.
“I'm over the moon and it was an experience of a lifetime,” Froome enthused. “Over the last week when it became clear that my early form and time trial performance were not one-off results I really began to enjoy myself and came to the realization that I can now compete with some of the best GC riders in the world.”
“It’s been really enjoyable and the best thing has been having my family over here to see me in the red jersey and also win a stage. The highlight for me was definitely winning that seventeenth stage at the top of the Pena Cabarga climb; it was a special day and will live long in my memory.”
Not considered a hot commodity on the free agent market before the Spanish Grand Tour began, Froome now has plenty of suitors as he searches for a contract for next season. But for now, the Brit was simply pleased with the work his Sky Procycling team put in. “Hopefully I’ve done something good for the team but I wouldn’t have been in this position if it wasn’t for everyone else,” he added. “The other riders have worked so hard over the last three weeks to keep myself and Bradley protected.”
“The support staff and the people behind the scenes were all so amazing and they don’t get enough credit for what they do. It’s them that have got us here and I’m so happy that Bradley and I finished on the podium.”
Wiggins: this proves 2009 Tour wasn’t a fluke
Though he didn’t hide his bitter disappointment after cracking under Cobo’s pace on the Angliru, Wiggins had put his Vuelta a España in perspective in Madrid. The time trial specialist, who joined Team Sky last year to try and become the first Brit to win the Tour de France, seemed to be on the form of his life in July. But a broken collarbone in the first week left his dreams shattered on French roads.
Before he could even start healing, Wiggins had his sights set on the Spanish Grand Tour. And of the injury casualties at the Tour who also refocused on Spain, Wiggins finished best placed.
“Thinking back to where I was a couple of months ago it’s a fantastic feeling to finish on the podium here and obviously it’s a massive result for the team to have ‘Froomey’ on the podium with me too,” Wiggins said.
“With my shoulder as it was this race was always going to be a bit of a testing ground for me and I’m really happy with the way I’ve been able to ride. This race has proved that what happened two years ago at the Tour de France was no fluke and I know in my mind now that I have what it takes to match strong riders at the Tour next year.”
Wiggins acknowledged the impressive display put on by his British team-mate, and was thankful for his help. “’Froomey’ deserves massive praise for the way he’s ridden this race,” he added. “He buried himself for me during those first two weeks and has been able to maintain his form right the way through to today. He’s produced ride after ride and also got his deserved stage win – I’m delighted for him."
“Bradley was being operated on for a broken collarbone only eight weeks ago so it's a remarkable turnaround,” Brailsford praised. “For him to perform at this level against some of the best riders in the world is an achievement in itself.”
For the first time, today’s final Vuelta a España podium featured two British riders collecting flowers for their overall finish at a Grand Tour. It was a milestone that the Sky director could not overlook.
“It’s never been done before by two Brits so it’s very, very pleasing,” remarked Brailsford. “It’s a sign of just how far we are moving forward and just how well Team Sky are performing this year to achieve a historical result like that. Obviously we’d have liked to be on the top step but credit to the guys, they’ve both done fantastic races.”
“We set out wanting to be the first team that puts a British rider on the top step of a Grand Tour and we’ve come a long, long way and as close as we could possibly get to that, which gives us great confidence looking ahead to the three Grand Tours next year.”