For the second time in his career, Chris Froome finished the Vuelta a Espana in second overall. However, the Brit was pleased with the result which came on the back of his hand injuries, and now has learnt that you can never give Alberto Contador any kind of advantage.

Chris Froome negotiated a tricky wet final time trial to wrap up second place overall at the Vuelta a Espana.

The Brit’s second podium finish at the Spanish Grand Tour was the culmination of three hard weeks of racing and a great performance from Team Sky.

Froome played it safe across the 9.7-kilometre time trial in Santiago de Compostela to finish the race one minute and 10 seconds back on the red jersey of Alberto Contador.

Heavy rain doused the course midway through the runners and treacherous conditions, coupled with numerous cobbled sections, meant it was a no-risk approach for the GC contenders to complete the race.

Adriano Malori (Movistar) was the fastest man on the day and the Italian set a time of 11:12 on dry roads to claim the final stage victory by eight seconds. Jesse Sergent (Trek Factory Racing) and Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing) rounded out the podium places, with Vasil Kiryienka coming home a superb fourth with a time 17 seconds back on Malori.

After battling back from hand and wrist injuries sustained at the Tour de France, Froome grew over the three weeks and finished the race in great form, going toe-to-toe with Contador on multiple occasions in one of the most intriguing Grand Tours for years.

Behind Froome and Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) it was Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) who rounded out the final podium, 1:50 back on Contador and 40 seconds behind the Team Sky rider.

Equalling his 2011 podium finish, Froome was ably supported by Mikel Nieve (12th), Philip Deignan (39th), Kanstantsin Siutsou (43rd), Pete Kennaugh (71st), Kiryienka (110th) and Luke Rowe (141st).

Christian Knees was forced to withdraw from the race due to illness during the final week, while Dario Cataldo was unable to complete the Vuelta on medical advice after a crash on stage 19.

The result stands Froome in good stead heading into the winter as he bids to return stronger than ever in 2015.

“I lost time to Contador in time trialling but it’s not a source of concern," he said. "I know how I came into this race. I definitely rode myself in. The Vuelta had a really high standard this year, I’m happy to have been part of it.

"I definitely owe this result to my team-mates. They’ve been behind me, they’ve supported me throughout the race, even when I had a few bad days earlier on in the race and I think that paid off.

"I was able to come away with the second place which, given how I came in, I can be happy with that. I have no regret at all on how the race unfolded. I did everything I could. I raced to the best of ability. As a team, we really pushed together. I don’t think any of us has any regret.

"Alberto [Contador] was really impressive in this Vuelta. If I’ve learnt anything about racing against him, it’s to not let him get any time because I might never get that time back. I definitely look forward to see what’s the Tour de France route will look like but for now, I’m very happy to finish it off and looking forward to a good winter break.”