UAE Team Emirates-EXG rider Tadej Pogacar secured the first Criterium du Dauphine crown of his remarkable career after finishing third in Sunday's eighth and final stage.
With the Tour de France less than a month away, the Slovenian sealed his latest title after coming home behind great rival Jonas Vingegaard and stage winner Lenny Martinez of France.
It meant Pogacar won the general classification by 59 seconds ahead of Team Visma-Lease a Bike's Vingegaard, with German rider Florian Lipowitz, of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, a further one minute 38 seconds behind the Dane. Belgium's Remco Evenepoel, of Soudal Quick-Step, came fourth.
Pogacar had decided not to defend his Giro d'Italia title last month which saw Isaac del Toro look set to earn UAE Team Emirates a second successive overall victory, only for the Mexican to surrender his lead to Simon Yates on the race's penultimate stage.
But last year's triple crown winner roared back into action in style as he secured victory in a race the 26-year-old had only entered once previously, finishing fourth in 2020.
Pogacar won three stages – taking his career tally to 98 – on his way to the title after taking over the leader's yellow jersey by claiming victory on Friday's Stage 6 following a trademark surge in the French Alps.
“A really amazing week,” said the three-time Tour de France champion. “Once again today great job by the team and they've managed to defend the jersey. We can go home happy to prepare for the Tour.
“A lot of positives and all the negatives will turn into positives so it's all good.
“We go to altitude camp at Isola 2000, then three days home, and to the Tour. There's basically not too much to do. Rest after this great week, do some extra work on the time trial, maybe, and then I'm ready.
“I've been here in 2020 at the shortened Dauphine because of Covid times. It was one of the hardest five days I ever did in my career, and since then, I didn't return. Finally, I did it and I'm super happy and proud.”
Sunday's final stage was a 133.3km mountainous trek from Val-d'Arc to Val-Cenis, with an uphill finish at the Plateau du Mont-Cenis.
Martinez, 21, caught Spaniard Enric Mas with 8km to go to give France its first victory in this Dauphine, finishing 34 seconds ahead of Vingegaard and Pogacar.
Vingegaard tried to catch the Bahrain Victorious rider but was unable to shake off Pogacar. The old foes then stopped attacking and rolled in together at the finish.
Pogacar now has 99 victories to his name – a record for an active rider at just 26 years of age – and heads into the Tour de France, which begins on July 5, as firm favourite.
