Sittard-Geleen - Norwegian rider Edvald Boasson Hagen won the Eneco Tour on Sunday for the second time after the Sky rider took the sixth and final stage.
The 24-year-old - who beat Portugal's Manuel Cardoso and Dutch rider Lars Boom to the stage win in a sprint finish - beat Belgian star Philippe Gilbert by 23 seconds while British cyclist David Millar took third overall, 29sec adrift.
It meant disappointment for Gilbert, who had been hoping to replace Australia's Tour de France champion Cadel Evans atop the world rankings.
Boasson Hagen's team-mates had worked hard in the final kms of the stage, upping the pace, to prevent an attack from Gilbert.
Boasson Hagen - winner of two stages on the Tour de France this year - also benefitted from a crash 150m from the line by another Belgian rider Jurgen Roelandt, who suffered a mechanical problem when he looked certain to win.
"Everything went perfectly - the team did what it had to protect my overall lead," said Boasson Hagen.