Froome Blood to be Saved

Chris Froome’s blood and urine samples from the 2015 Tour de France along with those from the other top five finishers will be kept for 10 years in case retrospective analysis is required, cycling’s world governing body has announced.

The 30-year-old Kenya-born Briton’s performance in winning a second Tour title was subject to innuendo and allegation, all unsubstantiated.

The sport has a troubled history and the authorities are keen to guard against drug cheats if technology develops with the UCI, the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF) and French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) announcing on Friday that samples from the top five finishers at Grand Tours will be stored for a decade.

“The UCI, the CADF and the AFLD have agreed to keep the samples for potential retrospective analyses in the future,” a statement read.

“As for all Grands Tours, all the collected samples concerning the best five riders in the general classification will be kept for 10 years for potential retrospective analyses.”

A total of 656 anti-doping controls - 482 were blood tests and 174 urine tests - were carried out during the race, which began in Utrecht on 4 July and finished in Paris on 26 July, with Team Sky’s Froome in the race winner’s yellow jersey ahead of Colombia’s Nairo Quintana and Spain’s Alejandro Valverde.

The blood tests were analysed in relation to the biological passport, which may indicate use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Froome’s critics pointed to power data as evidence of malpractice, but he was tested repeatedly while in the race leader’s yellow jersey and targeted testing was in place. Froome and Team Sky have repeatedly and vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

The CADF director Dr Francesca Rossi said “the targeted control strategy was discussed daily taking into account the performance of riders and other data”.

Rossi added: “We strengthened our strategy of targeted controls thanks to the use of information provided by numerous sources and to the support of an intelligence coordinator.”

The UCI president Brian Cookson said: “We can be confident of the robustness of our programme.”

Katusha’s Italian rider Luca Paolini was expelled from the race after testing positive for cocaine, a recreational drug.

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Horner Oldest Vuelta Winner

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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

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Nibali Aims forCycling Double

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Vincenzo Nibali is aiming to become the fourth rider to win the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana in the same year when the final three-week Grand Tour of the season starts in Spain on Saturday.

The Italian, 28, who won the Vuelta in 2010, claimed his second Grand Tour title by winning the Giro in May.

Colombia's Sergio Henao and Spanish pair Joaquin Rodriguez and Alejandro Valverde are among his chief rivals.

Nibali said: "I've got nothing to prove after the Giro but I want to do well."

Only Belgian legend Eddy Merckx (1973), Giovanni Battaglin of Italy (1981) and Spain's Alberto Contador (2008) have won the Spanish race in the same year as winning its Italian equivalent.

The three-week race is not as prestigious as the Tour de France and Giro but still attracts the biggest names in the sport - although defending champion Contador and Chris Froome, who became the second British winner of the Tour in July , are not racing.

With Froome focusing on the world road race in Florence at the end of September, Team Sky have chosen Henao to lead a nine-man squad that features 23-year-old Luke Rowe as the solitary British rider - the only other British rider in the race is Andrew Fenn, also 23, who rides for the Omega Pharma - Quick Step team.

However, Nibali has ambitions of using the mountainous route as a warm-up for the world road race, which is also expected to suit the climbing specialists.

"It's important to do well because a lot of people will be watching my performance here as a guide to how well I can ride there," he said.

"If I feel in good enough shape to win and have an advantage of just a minute or two, then I will go for broke in a single stage somewhere.

"If I'm suffering so badly I'm barely able to keep up with the rest of the favourites, I'll do things differently."

Valverde won the Vuelta in 2009 and is likely to feature highly but it is fellow Spaniard Rodriguez who comes into the race in decent form.

The 34-year-old Catalan finished the 2012 season as the top-ranked cyclist but is yet to win a Grand Tour, having twice finished third in the Vuelta (2012 and 2010), second in last year's Giro and third on this year's Tour de France.

"Winning one [Grand Tour] before I retire would be the high point of my career," the Katusha rider told Spanish paper AS.

"It's the difference between having a good career, like mine, and a magnificent one."

This year's Vuelta begins with Saturday's 27.4km team time trial from Vilanova de Arousa to Sanxenxo in north-western Spain and features 11 summit finishes. The penultimate 20th stage takes in the gruelling climb of the Angliru, which has gradients approaching 24%.

The race finishes in Madrid on Sunday, 15 September.

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