Spain's Alberto Contador won the overall classification for the fourth time ©Getty Images

Spain’s Alberto Contador won the Vuelta al Pais Vasco for the fourth time in his career after producing the fastest individual time trial on stage six of the International Cycling Union (UCI) World Tour race.

The Tinkoff rider was six seconds behind Colombia’s Sergio Henao heading into the 16.5 kilometre test against the clock in Eibar.

Contador produced an impressive display to lead at each of the time checks throughout the stage, with the Spaniard coping easily with the wet conditions on the descent to complete the course in a time of 29min 13sec.

It saw him end 12 seconds clear of Henao in the final standings, with the Team Sky rider finishing 18 seconds off the pace.

Henao’s fellow Colombian, Nairo Quintana, moved into the final podium position after producing a fine display in the time trial.

The winner of the Volta a Catalunya last month could have secured the stage victory but opted to change from a road bike to a specialist time trial one after the final climb.

Sergio Henao was unable to hold onto his overall race lead to eventually finish second
Sergio Henao was unable to hold onto his overall race lead to eventually finish second ©Getty Images

A slow change saw the Colombian lose crucial seconds, which eventually saw him end five seconds behind Contador on the stage and 37 seconds adrift overall.

Despite losing the overall lead, Henao was crowned the winner of the points classification at the race, which is also known as the Tour of the Basque Country.

Italy’s Diego Rosa, following his stage win yesterday, claimed victory in the king of the mountains, with France’s Nicolas Edet topping the sprint standings.