MADRID, 19 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates) won the 69th edition of the Tour of Andalusia this Sunday after defending his overall lead during the fifth and final stage, of 184.3 kilometers between the Granada municipality of Otura and the Malaga town of Alhaurín de la Torre, where the Spanish Omar Fraile (INEOS Grenadiers) has taken the last partial victory.
On a Sunday route dotted with four ports, three in the third category and one in the first category, Puerto del Sol, the two-time Tour de France champion had no excessive problems retaining his leader’s jersey, crowning an Andalusian round in which he finished with the overall and three stage wins.
Pogacar, who takes the scepter from the Dutchman Wout Poels, closes the standings with a 1:23 advantage over the Spanish Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious), who defended his second place overall, and with 1:28 over the Colombian Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain Victorious), which closed the final podium of the Vuelta a Andalucía.
The stage victory went to Omar Fraile, who avoided the full triumph of UAE Team Emirates -which had won three stages with Pogacar and one with the Belgian Tim Wellens- by beating the Italian Alessandro Covi in the final sprint in Alhaurín de la Torre (UAE Emirates). The also transalpine Andrea Pasqualon (Bahrain Victorious) was third this Sunday.