PARIS, Nov 26 (Reuters) 

 

Giro and Vuelta champion Alberto Contador won the Golden Bike award for the best rider of the year for the second consecutive season on Wednesday.

 

The Spaniard beat time-trial Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland and compatriot and Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre in a vote by international cycling writers.

"In my opinion, this trophy is the greatest in the world because it is awarded by the whole specialised press," Contador told Velo Magazine, the newspaper behind the award.

Although he did not take part in the Tour de France because his Astana team were not invited, Contador was rewarded for an outstanding season in which he became the fifth rider to win the three big Tours.

 

He won the Tour in 2007 and this year triumphed in the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta.

"Last year, it was already a big surprise but this year I thought it would be very difficult to win it because I did not ride in the Tour de France. Actually, I did not think I would win it," added Contador, who turns 26 next week.

 

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Clare Fallon)