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Valverde seals Catalonia win in style

Barcelona - Alejandro Valverde completed his second Tour of Catalonia win on Sunday with his third stage win of the seven-day race to top an all Spanish podium from Alberto Contador and Movistar teammate Albert Soler.

Valverde, 36, added to his victories on stage three and five on the 138.7km stage around Barcelona with an eight-lap circuit to finish in 3hr 08min 50sec.

Colombian Jarlinson Pantano was second ahead of Frenchman Arthur Vichot in third.

Valverde extended his winning margin over Contador to 1min 03sec with Soler 1min 16sec back.

Victory continues a stellar start to the season for Valverde after also beating Contador by a second to the Tour of Andalusia and winning the one day Tour of Murcia for a fifth time in February.

And the scale of Valverde's win is even more impressive given every Movistar rider was handed a one minute penalty for infringements by Jose Joaquin Rojas in Tuesday's team time trial.

Results and standings after the seventh and final stage of the Tour de Catalonia on Sunday, a 138.7km ride around Barcelona:

Stage

1. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/MOV) 3hr 08min 49sec, 2. Jarlinson Pantano (COL/TRE) at same time, 3. Arthur Vichot (FRA/FDJ) s.t., 4. Rafal Majka (POL/BOA) s.t., 5. Daniel Martin (EIR/ETI) s.t., 6. Aldemar Reyes (COL/MZN) s.t., 7. Romain Bardet (FRA/ALM) s.t., 8. Davide Formolo (ITA/CAN) s.t., 9. George Bennett (NZL/LNL) s.t., 10. Steven Kruijswijk (NED/LNL) s.t.

Selected others:

48. Chris Froome (GBR/SKY) 1:04

Overall

1. Alejandro Valverde (ESP/Movistar) 25hr 27min 15sec, 2. Alberto Contador (ESP/TRE) at 1min 03sec, 3. Marc Soler (ESP/MOV) 1:16, 4. Adam Yates (GBR/ORI) 1:31, 5. Tejay Van Garderen (USA/BMC) 1:34, 6. Daniel Martin (EIR/ETI) 2:29, 7. Steven Kruijswijk (NED/LNL) 2:56, 8. Carlos Verona (ESP/ORI) 3:00, 9. George Bennett (NZL/LNL) 3:01, 10. Romain Bardet (FRA/ALM) 3:05.

Selected others:

30. Chris Froome (GBR/SKY) 28:19.

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