Alberto Contador held on to his advantage after making an audacious break to win the 17th stage of the 2012 Vuelta a Espana earlier today and take the overall lead from Joaquin Rodriguez.

The two-time Tour de France champion drew on his experience to make his gutsy break more than 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the mountain finish, leaving Rodriguez behind and crossing the line 2 minutes, 38 seconds ahead of the previous leader.

Contador let out two loud cries in celebration as he finished in 04:29:20, closing in on his second Vuelta and first title since returning from a doping ban.

An emotional Contador says "the call came to push ahead ... (so) I gambled."

Alejandro Valverde passed Rodriguez to take second place in the stage and in the overall rankings.

The 21-stage Vuelta concludes on September 9 in the Spanish capital Madrid.

Watch video highlights from all stages of the 2012 Vuelta a Espana in our videos section (U.S. only - due to geo broadcast rights restrictions).