Team Astans’s Fabio Aru wins 2015 Tour of Spain

Italian Fabio Aru, of Team Astana, claimed victory in the 70th edition of the Tour of Spain after completing the 21st and last stage between Alcala de Henares and Madrid at the weekend.

It was Abu’s first trip to the top step of the podium. Coming in second overall was Spain’s Joaquim Rodriguez, of Team Katusha, while Poland’s Rafal Majka, of Team Tinkoff, finished third.

Aru said winning the Vuelta was “a dream come true” and that he had to push himself to the limit as he attacked the Sierra de Madrid mountain pass on the final day Sunday.

“It was the fulfillment of the dream you have when you start riding. There have been beautiful and less beautiful moments, but you can never give up,” Aru said.

“It was a very stressful Vuelta race from the first day, but it was a good show for everyone. The Tour of Spain is a great race with a great audience,” the 25yearold cyclist said.

The Team Astana rider said he was eyeing next year’s Tour de France, but his appearance there would depend on the team’s plans for the year.

Kazakh Alexandre Vinokourov, director of Team Astana, said the victory was the result of “great teamwork all around.”

“It’s not only the triumph of Fabio Aru, it is the victory of a team. We prepare our strategy with (Giuseppe) Martinelli and (Stefano) Zanini. On paper, it looked easy but the reality is that it was very hard,” Vinokourov said.