SAN BENEDETTO DEL TRONTO, Italy (AP) — Vincenzo Nibali of Italy successfully defended his title in the weeklong Tirreno-Adriatico race while world champion Tony Martin won the concluding time trial on Tuesday.
Nibali, who rides for Astana, finished 23 seconds ahead of Tour de France runner-up Chris Froome, while Alberto Contador placed third overall, 52 seconds back. Martin, the German riding for Omega Pharma-Quick Step and the two-time world champion in time trials, clocked 10 minutes, 25 seconds over the flat 9.2-kilometer (5.7-mile) course in San Benedetto del Tronto.
Italy's Adriano Malori was second in the stage, six seconds behind, Costa Rica's Andrey Amador was third, 10 seconds back, and Swiss standout Fabian Cancellara was fourth, 12 seconds behind. Froome was sixth on the day, 15 seconds behind, and Nibali crossed comfortably in 12th, 26 seconds back.
Nibali set up the victory by winning Monday's penultimate stage, which many riders abandoned part-way because of wet conditions, with an attack on a dangerous downhill section. Nibali will also be a favorite for Sunday's Milan-San Remo classic.
"It was a tough 9 kilometers today but I had a good lead so I just stayed calm," Nibali said. "San Remo is another big race and I hope I can do well there also."
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