Costa is World Champion

Getty Images

Portugal's Rui Costa won a rain-soaked men's road race at the World Championships in Tuscany after Britain's Chris Froome withdrew.

Costa, 26, took the lead just yards from the finish as he beat Spain's Joaquim Rodriguez by a bike-length in seven hours, 25 minutes, 43 seconds.

Spaniard Alejandro Valverde took bronze, narrowly ahead of Italy's Vincenzo Nibali.

Tour de France champion Froome quit with more than 80km left.

"This has been a big dream of mine for a long time. I still can't believe I'm the world champion," said Costa, who broke down in tears on the podium.

Heavy rain caused multiple crashes early in the race, with none of the eight-strong British team, which included former Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins and ex-world champion Mark Cavendish, making it over the finishing line.

"The conditions are the same for everyone; we've got no excuse. We just weren't there," Froome, who was attempting to become the first man in 24 years to win the Tour and world road race in the same year, told BBC Sport.

"It's a big disappointment, especially having made it such a big objective, but with these conditions it just wasn't meant to be.

"The first three laps on the circuit, there were crashes everywhere. It's rained solidly all day. After three laps the split started happening and I looked around and realised I didn't have any team-mates left and it wasn't going to happen.

"Given we've come up empty-handed, we'll have to go back to the drawing board [ahead of the Rio Olympics in 2016]."

Froome's withdrawal meant Geraint Thomas was the only Briton left riding, but he also pulled out shortly after.

"It was just carnage out there," Thomas told BBC Sport. "I saw five or six crashes out in front of me.

"Once you're in that back half, you're kind of destined to get dropped. We all committed to try and get Froome there, but it wasn't meant to be."

Cavendish, the 2011 world champion, led the peloton and helped keep Britain in contention for much of the first 106km after the race left Lucca.

However, as soon as the race hit the first of 10 laps around Florence, featuring two significant climbs, the Italian squad took over the pace-setting and Cavendish fell away.

Wiggins, who had been expected to support Froome in the latter stages of the race, was always near the back of the peloton and soon retired along with Cavendish.

The punishing 16.5km circuits, coupled with the horrendous weather conditions, were taking their toll with riders dropping out at an average of around 15 a lap.

Poland's Bartosz Huzarski, who broke away with four other riders early in the race, held on to the lead for around 240km.

He was finally caught with a little over 25km remaining, by a group of 40 riders that included defending champion Philippe Gilbert and fellow pre-race favourites Peter Sagan of Slovakia and Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara.

However, the trio were unable to respond when Italy's Michele Scarponi, Rodriguez and Nibali attacked on the final 4.3km climb to Fiesole , eventually finishing in a group 34 seconds behind Costa.

Rodriguez rode away from Giro d'Italia champion Nibali, who had crashed on an earlier descent, but was unable to open a significant advantage on the final ascent of the 600m-long Via Salviati.

Costa broke clear of Nibali and Valverde to catch Rodriguez with one kilometre remaining, before making the decisive move in a laboured sprint to become the first Portuguese world champion.

"Losing like this is stupid," said a tearful Rodriguez. "Winning is all that matters so this medal doesn't mean anything to me right now.

"We (Spain) had the numbers; we were the strongest; we should not have lost."

Also in the British team were Ian Stannard, Josh Edmondson, Steve Cummings and Luke Rowe, who replaced Jonathan Tiernan-Locke.

Tiernan-Locke withdrew on Thursday for what he claimed was a lack of form, but it was revealed on Sunday that the UCI, the sport's governing body, is investigating a potential discrepancy in his "biological passport data".

Race result:

1. Rui Costa (Por) 7:25:44"

2. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) ST

3. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) +15"

4. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita)

5. Andriy Grivko (Ukr) +31"

6. Peter Sagan (Svk) +34"

7. Simon Clarke (Aus)

8. Maxim Iglinskiy (Kaz)

9. Philippe Gilbert (Bel)

10. Fabian Cancellara (Swi)

Related articles

• British riders' attitude questioned
• Road World Championships: Men's road race review
• Road World Championships: Rui Costa wins as Froome withdraws
• Ellingworth disappointed with British performance at world championships
• Wiggins and Froome have attitude questioned after Florence flop
• British riders' attitude questioned

Horner Oldest Vuelta Winner

Getty Images

Chris Horner became the oldest ever Grand Tour winner with victory in the Vuelta a Espana at the age of 41.

The American is eight years older than Tony Rominger was when he won the race in 1994, and five years older than the Tour de France's most senior champion, Firmin Lambot, who triumphed in 1922.

Horner, who rides for the RadioShack team, beat Giro d'Italia winner Vincenzo Nibali by 37 seconds.

Australian Michael Matthews, of Orica-GreenEdge, won the final stage.

The 22-year-old claimed victory in a bunch sprint in Madrid ahead of American Tyler Farrar and Nikias Arndt of Germany.

Along with the Tour de France, won this year by Britain's Chris Froome, and Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta is one of cycling's prestigious three-week Grand Tours and represents the biggest win of Horner's career.

"I knew how hard it was going to be for this team to win the Tour of Spain," he said.

"I have faced younger, great riders like Nibali, [Alejandro] Valverde and Joaquim Rodriguez. They have had a great tour so, for me, it is a legendary moment that may not be repeated.

"I know I am also the first North American to win the Tour of Spain and this makes me very proud of my work and, above all, that of my team-mates."

Horner made his first move on stage three,which he won to register his first stage victory in a Grand Tour and move ahead in the general classification.

He held the leader's red jersey for just a day as 2010 champion Nibali, riding for Astana, regained the lead, but returned to the head of the field with victory on the 10th stage.

Italian Nibali responded again and seemed set for his second Tour of Spain title as he headed into the final week of the race with a 50-second lead.

But Horner made significant inroads into his advantage on the 16th and 18th stages before finally moving ahead on Friday's 19th stage.

Horner moved 37 seconds ahead of Nibali by finishing second on the penultimate day at Alto de l'Angliru and maintained that lead on the final stage.

Nibali said: "I can't complain with how my year has gone. I won the Giro and I came here with the intention to win again in the Tour of Spain.

"I gave everything I had to wear the red jersey and defend it, but perhaps our strategy wasn't correct."

Spaniard Valverde, winner of the points race, finished third in the overall standings, with Ireland's Nicolas Roche in fifth. France's Nicolas Edet won the King of the Mountains classification, ahead of Horner.

Stage 21 result:

1. Michael Matthews (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge 2 hours 44 minutes

2. Tyler Farrar (US) Garmin +0

3. Nikias Arndt (Ger) Argos +0

4. Gianni Meersman (Bel) Omega Pharma Quick-Step +0

5. Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) Lampre +0

6. Grega Bole (Slo) Vacansoleil +0

7. Adrien Petit (Fra) Cofidis +0

8. Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (SA) Argos +0

9. Francesco Lasca (Italy) Caja Rural +0

10. Robert Wagner (Ger) Belkin +0

Final overall standings:

1. Chris Horner (US) RadioShack 84 hours 36 minutes 04 seconds

2. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana +37 seconds

3. Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Movistar +1:36

4. Joaquim Rodriguez (Spa) Katusha +3:22

5. Nicolas Roche (Ire) Saxo-Tinkoff +7:11

6. Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R +8:00

7. Thibaut Pinot (Fra) FDJ.fr +8:41

8. Samuel Sanchez (Spa) Euskaltel +9:51

9. Leopold Koenig (Cze) NetApp +10:11

10. Daniel Moreno (Spa) Katusha +13:11

Related articles

• Veteran cyclist Horner wins Tour of Spain
• Veteran cyclist Horner wins Tour of Spain
• Veteran cyclist Chris Horner defies convention to win Tour of Spain
• American Chris Horner wins Tour of Spain
• Horner breaks time barrier to take historic Vuelta victory
• Vuelta a Espana 2013: Bold Predictions for Race's Remaining Stages

S8 - Valverde Wins Andorra Stage

Alejandro Valverde finished with a flourish on stage eight at the Vuelta a Espana to take victory on the steep Collada de la Gallina.

The Spaniard (Movistar) was one of an elite group of overall favourites who moved to the head of the pack on the tough Andorran climb as the race exploded in the final kilometres.

Valverde arrived quickly into the last corner with race leader Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) on his wheel, the pair narrowly overhauling Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank) to make up the top three on the day.

Just behind was Brit Chris Froome, the Team Sky rider fading slightly in the closing stages after duking it out on the climb as the favourites traded attacks.

Heading into the closing stages Team Sky had taken control of the race, setting a searing tempo on the previous ascent of the Alto de la Comella in a bid to set up Froome.

The end result saw Rodriguez extend his lead out to 33 seconds over Froome, who dropped 15 seconds in the final metres, with Contador a further seven seconds adrift.

Climbing battle

After an exciting first week of racing the Vuelta continued with what promised to be the toughest stage of racing thus far, 174.7km on the agenda as the peloton rolled out of Lleida.

What ensued was a gruelling first hour, numerous attacks fired off the front as teams and riders lined up to make their way into the day's break.

With a first hour averaging 53kp/h in the books and still no riders up the road, a truce was finally called as six riders were allowed clear, the gap quickly stretching out to over nine minutes with no one from a leading GC team involved.

That allowed the peloton to draw breath before the road began to drag upwards and Team Sky hit the front with numbers.

As expected the final climb and its 18 hairpins proved decisive. A new climb in the race, one by one the Team Sky riders peeled off before the attacks began in earnest.

It was left to Valverde to take an impressive victory and move himself right back into contention following his stage four crash and subsequent time loss.

Valverde Clinches Movistar Stage Win

The final day in the mountains on Thursday was won by Alejandro Valverde of Movistar, who jumped out of the break and bridged across to team-mate Rui Costa with 35 kilometres to go before riding to a solo victory in Peyragudes on Stage 17.

However the Team Sky duo of Wiggins and Froome put him under real pressure on the final climb up to the ski station finish as they dramatically cut into his lead and distanced all their remaining rivals in the process, including third-placed Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale).

Froome crossed the line in second, just 19 seconds behind Valverde, with Wiggins right on his wheel in third. Nibali was 18 seconds further back in seventh.

It all means Wiggins, who is bidding to be the first British winner of the yellow jersey in Paris on Sunday, retains a lead of 2:05 over Froome and 2:41 over Nibali, with no other rider within five minutes of the maillot jaune.

Even Wiggins himself admits that an historic victory in Paris is now tantalisingly close, saying: "The minute we went over the Peyresourde I knew that was it. I still felt fantastic at that point. We hit the last climb and I went on the front. I just lost concentration and started thinking a lot of things. Froomey was egging me on for more but I knew that [the riders behind] were all gone.

"I knew someone was going to attack and I knew it was going to be hard. As they were fatiguing off I was feeling better and better, so it was actually getting slower the higher we got up. Once we went over the summit I knew Nibali was in trouble and a few of the other guys. I had a little chat with Froomey on the descent and that was it.

"Obviously we’ve got the time trial to come but that’s very much our domain. It’s all looking very good at the moment."

Wiggins began the short but sharp 143.5-kilometre route from Bagneres-de-Luchon in the yellow jersey for a 10th day, with Nibali knowing he had to make a move.

But it was Wiggins, with able support from Froome, who distanced the Italian on the finishing ascent.

Valverde led in the closing stages of the route as Wiggins took to the front of an eight-man group 4km from the summit of the day's final ascent, the 15.4km climb to Peyragudes.

Jurgen van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) attacked, increasing the pace, before Froome took to the front, keeping the tempo high.

The relentless pace saw the group disintegrate and Nibali lost contact 3km from the summit.

Froome forged on and Wiggins latched on to his wheel before the Team Sky duo pushed on as their rivals lost touch and they closed in on Valverde all the way to the line.

Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-Big Mat) was fourth, three seconds further adrift, with Pierre Rolland (Europcar) fifth and Jurgen Van den Broeck (Lotto-Belisol) sixth, both 26 seconds behind Valverde.

Friday's 222.5km 18th stage from Blagnac to Brive-la-Gaillarde features three classified climbs, but could end in a sprint finish. It's then a 53.5km time trial on Saturday before the final stage in Paris on Sunday

Wiggins Leads as Valverde Wins

Alejandro Valverde had targeted the third stage of the Paris-Nice before the race started and the Spaniard duly delivered when he claimed his fourth win of the season at the end of a 194-km ride from Vierzon as Bradley Wiggins held on to the overall lead.

Movistar rider Valverde, back this season after a two-year ban for his implication in the Operation Puerto blood-doping scandal, surged ahead in the final stretch after a short climb and held off second-placed Simon Gerrans of Australia.

Belgium's Gianni Meersman took third place while Wiggins retained finished another day in yellow.

"It was really hard today, everybody was knackered," said Team Sky rider Wiggins, who leads Americans Levi Leipheimer and Tejay van Garderen by six and 11 seconds respectively.

Valverde is sixth, 20 seconds off the pace after his win gave him a 10-second time bonus.

Luxembourg's Andy Schleck, who will be awarded the 2010 Tour de France title after Alberto Contador was stripped of his victory following a failed dope test, pulled out of the race before the start, citing gastroenteritis.

His RadioShack Nissan sports director Alain Gallopin told reporters on Tuesday that Schleck would probably take part in the Tour of Catalunya from March 19-25 to make up for lost time on the bike.

Schleck, however, was already well out of contention after another mediocre time-trial display in the opening stage and finishing some 11 minutes off the pace in the second stage on Monday.

On a cold, dark day in central France, a three-man breakaway built up a five-minute gap but Team Sky worked at the front of the peloton to chase them down and Frenchman Jimmy Engoulvent was caught six kilometres from the line.

Uzbekistan's Sergey Lagutin pulled away in the final section, a 5.2-km climb at an average gradient of 3.9 per cent, but he failed to sustain the pace.

Valverde, who had looked forward to the final climb, surged ahead and beat Gerrans to add to his Tour of Andalusia and Tour Down Under victories.