Tour of Spain champion Alberto Contador has won the prestigious Velo d'Or award as the best rider of 2014.

Spaniard Contador, who was already crowned in 2007, 2008 and 2009, beat Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali of Italy in a poll of cycling journalists set up by French publication Velo Magazine.

Contador, who crashed out of the Tour de France, also won the Tirreno-Adriatico and Tour of Basque country stage races.