Boasson Hagen wins Eneco final stage and overall
Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky) won the 2011 Eneco Tour in style on Sunday by taking the final stage win.
The Norwegian's Sky team-mates took control of the bunch in the final kilometres to mark attacks and protect the overall race lead.
Boasson Hagen surged ahead in Geleen to take the stage win ahead ofManuel Cardoso (Radioshack) and Lars Boom (Rabobank) in third.
Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) placed second overall at 23 seconds and Britain's David Millar (Garmin-Cervelo) in third at 29 seconds.
It had been a tough day of racing, featuring much of the same route of the Amstel Gold Race and including 22 climbs. An earlier escape group were caught in the final 10km as Sky wound up the pace of the bunch.
Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing) launched several last-ditch attacks to try and claw back some time on race leader Boasson Hagen and improve on his fourth place overall going into the final day. However, the American wasn't allowed any slack from the British team.
Gilbert also had a go in the last 2km, but by his standards it was a half-hearted attempt to leap from the bunch.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Double 2011 Tour de France stage winner Boasson Hagen avoided a last corner crash that took out Phinney and Jurgen Roelandts (Omega Pharma-Lotto) to distance the bunch by a wide margin and take a strong final win.
Results
Eneco Tour 2011, stage six: Sittard-Geleen, 201.2km
1. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky in 4-29-42
2. Manuel Cardoso (Por) Radioshack at 1 sec
3. Lars Boom (Ned) Rabobank
4. Grega Bole (Slo) Lampre-ISD
5. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
6. Andreas Stauff (Ger) Quickstep
7. Tomas Vaitkus (Ltu) Astana
8. Simone Ponzi (Ita) Liquigas-Cannondale
9. Koen De Kort (Ned) Skil-Shimano
10. Vladimir Gusev (Rus) Katusha all same time
Final overall classification
1. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Sky in 22-30-58
2. Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto at 23 secs
3. David Millar (GB) Team Garmin-Cervelo at 29 secs
4. Taylor Phinney (USA) BMC Racing at 36 secs
5. Jos Van Emden (Ned) Rabobank at 58 secs
6. Joost Van Leijen (Ned) Vacansoleil-DCM at 1-05
7. Dominique Cornu (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator at 1-08
8. Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quickstep at 1-09
9. Ben Hermans (Bel) RadioShack at 1-10
10. Linus Gerdemann (Ger) Leopard-Trek at 1-14
Edvald Boasson Hagen wins the final stage to cement overall victory
Related links
Bono wins Eneco stage five as Boasson Hagen defends lead
Stage four: Jesse Sergent takes Eneco stage four
Eneco Tour 2011 photo gallery
Gilbert unstoppable as he moves into Eneco Tour lead
Greipel makes it two out of two
Phinney takes Eneco prologue, Millar and Thomas in top ten
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Founded in 1891, Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews, extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing, as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features. Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms, from good old-fashioned print to online journalism, and video.
-
I’m having to tell people I’m still a cyclist despite the fact it’s not cool anymore
Bragging rights now belong to the paddleboarders
By Michael Hutchinson Published
-
Canyon Grail CF SL 7 AXS review: a gravel bike of two halves?
The integrated cockpit and aero tubing are somewhat at odds with the Grail's taller stack height
By Rachel Sokal Published