It was mission accomplished Sunday for Tom Danielson, who shut the book on a solid Vuelta a España performance by finishing eighth overall.

That’s the third-best performance by an American in the Spanish grand tour (Levi Leipheimer was third in 2001 and Lance Armstrong fourth in 1998) and bodes well for the 27-year-old’s future.

His goal was to simply finish the Vuelta strongly, but once a spot in the top 10 became likely, Danielson changed his focus to defending his place in the GC. He overcame a bad stomach in stage 13 and endured two difficult climbing stages last weekend with the breakthrough performance in sight.

He suffered through a "bad day" in Wednesday’s hilly stage, but hung on to his top 10 spot. He rose to ninth after Santos González was kicked out of the race by his team Thursday and then slipped into eighth after a strong ride in Saturday’s final time trial.

Danielson was solid in all the key stages, posting top-10 finishes in all three times trials (fifth in stage 1, sixth in stage 9 and ninth in stage 20, respectively) and riding at his own pace in the summit finishes, always with an eye on the next stage.

The solid performance will take some pressure off Danielson, who was finally able to show he could deliver in a grand tour after being hyped as America’s next big thing.

Last year at Fassa Bortolo, team politics kept him out of the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta. This spring, his Giro debut was cut short after nine stages with an injured knee.

Nice finish for Vande Velde; Barry ever-steady
Christian Vande Velde (CSC) put a nice finishing touch on his 2005 Vuelta with an impressive 10th-place performance in Saturday’s time trial to finish 32nd overall.

Despite three crashes, Vande Velde provided key support to Carlos Sastre’s third-place podium finish. The Chicago native lines up next for the world championships and then will race the fall classics at GP Zurich and Giro di Lombardia.

Michael Barry (Discovery Channel) was essential to Tom Danielson’s top-10 ride. The Canadian roomed with Danielson and helped steer the inexperienced former mountain biker through the rough-and-tumble Vuelta peloton. As a result, Danielson never suffered a serious crash nor was he out of position heading into the final climbs.

Barry raced much of the Vuelta with an injured rib, which he hurt during a training accident just before the start of the race. Barry finished 58th overall to complete his second grand tour of the 2005 season. He rode in support of Giro winner Paolo Savoldelli in May and is one of only four Discovery Channel riders to finish this year’s Vuelta.

Vuelta podium: Highs and low

First - Roberto Heras, 31, Liberty Seguros: Highs: Captured record fourth Vuelta crown; won two stages; blew race open in a dramatic display of team tactics in Sunday’s epic stage to Pajares; finished second in final time trial; won combined jersey along with overall. Lows: Crashed in stage 13, leaving him with 15 stitches; couldn’t drop Denis Menchov in critical summit finish to Covadonga, putting in doubt his ability to win the Vuelta.

Second – Denis Menchov, 27, Rabobank: Highs: Won two stages, both time trial victories that mark the first wins in the race against the clock of his career; overcame disappointing Tour de France to claim first grand tour podium. Lows: Was on the receiving end of drubbing in stage 15 to Pajares to lose lead; no support from young, inexperienced Rabobank team.

Third – Carlos Sastre, 31, Team CSC: Highs: No stage wins, but consistent riding throughout; first podium of career to prove he deserves team-captain status; solid support from Team CSC. Lows: Couldn’t win a stage despite several attacks; couldn’t follow Heras in decisive stage to Pajares.

Final podium
GC: 1. Roberto Heras (Sp), Liberty Seguros; 2. Denis Menchov (Rus), Rabobank; 3. Carlos Sastre (Sp), Team CSC
Best climber: Joaquim Rodríguez (Sp), Saunier Duval
Combined: Heras
Points: Alessandro Petacchi (I), Fassa Bortolo
Team: Comunidad Valenciana
Peloton: 127 finishers, 197 starters