Vuelta a Espana, Stage 21: Live updates, blog

“Alberto Contador will ride into Madrid on Monday morning (Australian time) to win his second Vuelta a Espana after holding onto the lead on the mountainous 20th stage and last-ditch attacks from Joaquim Rodriguez and Alejandro Valverde.”

You’ll be able to read a report in the paper like that on Monday morning over your morning coffee. However, it doesn’t do Contador’s win the justice it deserves. I’m not Contador’s biggest fan. I’ve always had trouble re- accepting convicted dopers, although, Alexandr Vinokourov did win me over in the end. But his daring breakaway on Stage 17, on a day where no-one expected the status quo to change, is the stuff of legend.

In a time where cycling is being scrutinised at its most in-depth level thanks to Lance Armstrong, there will be the doubters of whether Contador did it clean. But nothing gave me more joy than to watch a guy take the race by the scruff of the neck and ring it until it was dead. That’s what Tom Boonen did at this year’s Paris-Roubaix. It’s what Fabian Cancellara has done at the classics in the past. What Gilbert has done.

And its something that we don’t see often in Grand Tours but at the Vuelta a Espana this year, we’ve seen it lots. Joaquim Rodriguez was a superb leader throughout the middle sections of the race. Alejandro Valverde a worthy adversary. It has been a race in three, like the Tour was this year, although this Spanish trio has been much more entertaining than the mind-numbing boredom that was Wiggins vs. Froome vs. Evans at the Tour. The other reason why its been a race in three has been the time gaps. Sure, there’s only 2’21” between Contador in first and Rodriguez in third. But Chris Froome, who utterly dominated the Tour save for Bradley Wiggins, is nearly 10 minutes down in fourth.

That highlights how difficult this Vuelta has been. Where Froome was able to use his big weapon, his skill against the clock, to his advantage at the Tour, with just half the time trialling distance, the Vuelta has ruled him. The guy who, if not for time bonuses collected by Juan Jose Cobo, would have won last year’s Vuelta, has been left trailing well behind.

The defining ride of this race, neigh this year, was Contador’s victory atop Fuente De. Contador rarely shows emotion on or off the bike. But his celebration in winning the stage and taking the overall lead just showed how much this really meant to him. He’s been put through hell over the past 2 years, some of which was his fault (if you believe his contaminated meat story, his ignorance in not checking it), some of which wasn’t (the farcical process of the appeal to the CAS was entirely a dropped ball by the sport’s authorities). But to silence his doubters and at least grab back one of his Grand Tours he lost as part of his conviction was incredible.

In a time when team tactics, aerodynamic bikes and big contract payouts rule the sport, I think we’ve seen the level of panache diminish in recent years. Yet sometimes, we get to witness brilliance and remind ourselves that these guys are unbelievable athletes who love nothing more than to win against the odds. Andy Schleck’s ballsy move on the Galibier at last year’s Tour was one such feat (although he ultimately fell at the last hurdle). Contador’s breakaway resembled that in so many ways.

So kudos ‘Bertie’. A 5th Grand Tour victory (or 7th if you count the 2010 Tour and 2011 Giro) awaits you in Madrid, after a nice leisurely 115km stroll from the outskirts into the centre of the capital. A well deserved victory that has certainly raised my respect for you to new levels. Let’s hope that inspirational rides like Contador’s at this Vuelta can help cycling overcome the looming spectre of the Lance Armstrong/USADA struggle and reignite the world’s enthusiasm for the sport.