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Sallanches - Slovenia's Janez Brajkovic secured the biggest stage race win of his career Sunday when he beat Spain's Alberto Contador into second place at the Dauphine Criterium.
Brajkovic, who races for Lance Armstrong's RadioShack team, finished the week-long race with a lead of 1min 41sec on two-time Tour de France champion Contador.
Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen, of Team Sky, won the final stage held over 148km between Allevard-les-Bains and Sallanches after dominating a circuit on which French legend Bernard Hinault won the world title 30 years ago, in 1980.
The win came only hours after his team sports director Sean Yates said the Norwegian, who has recently suffered an Achilles tendon problem, had proven his form ahead of a likely Tour de France selection.
Brajkovic is also hoping his first major stage race win boosts his selection chances for the Tour de France, where team leader Lance Armstrong will bid for an eighth yellow jersey.
Shortly after the start of Sunday's final stage, it became clear that there would be no challenge from Contador to threaten the 26-year-old Slovenian.
An eight man breakaway formed as soon as Frenchman Samuel Dumoulin attacked at the one kilometre mark and they went on to build a lead of three and a half minutes inside the first 20 km.
But with several teams not represented at the front, Boasson Hagen's Sky team drove the chasing peloton hard and as the leaders reached the 50km mark to begin the 11.2km climb over the category two Cote des Rafforts their lead had evaporated to just 40sec.
The climb took its toll, with five riders, including Dumoulin, dropping off the front just as a counter-attack from the peloton was launched.
It left 13 in front, including Boasson Hagen, and just after they crested the summit with a 35sec lead on the peloton they were joined by a further four riders, including Garmin's David Millar.
A tiring Dumoulin soon quit the race as the 17-man lead group went on to build a two-minute lead on the peloton.
They came into Sallanches with a lead of just over 1:30 but with the steep 2.4km Domancy climb to negotiate five times on a wet and slippery circuit they were far from safety.
An acceleration by Millar with 39 km remaining only served to prompt Boasson Hagen to counter, and when the Norwegian flew past it was game over for the big Scot.
Despite being joined by four other riders from his escape group further on the Norwegian sensation, who claimed 13 professional victories as a 21-year-old last season, was not to be denied.
Boasson Hagen simply upped the pace at the foot of the Domancy, kept a fast cadence despite the climb's 9.2 percent average gradient and left everyone in his wake.
Spaniard Arkaitz Duran Aroca tried in vain to follow, but the Footon-Servetto rider had to settle for second over 20secs behind Boasson Hagen as he came over the line in triumph.
Final Stage Results:
1. Edvald Boasson Hagen, Norway, Team Sky, 3 hours, 39 minutes, 43 seconds.
2. Arkaitz Duran Aroca, Spain, Footon-Servetto, 27 seconds behind.
3. Egor Silin, Russia, Katusha, 0:32.
4. Christophe Le Mevel, France, Francaise des Jeux, 0:34.
5. Tejay Van Garderen, United States, HTC-Columbia, 0:40.
6. Alberto Contador, Spain, Astana, same time.
7. Christophe Riblon, France, AG2R-La Mondiale, same time.
8. Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Belgium, Omega Pharma-Lotto, same time.
9. Jerome Coppel, France, Saur-Sojasun, same time.
10. Janez Brajkovic, Slovenia, Team RadioShack, same time.
Overall Standings
1. Janez Brajkovic, Slovenia, Team RadioShack, 28 hours, 6 minutes, 28 seconds.
2. Alberto Contador, Spain, Astana, 1 minute, 41 seconds behind.
3. Tejay Van Garderen, United States, HTC-Columbia, 2:41.
4. Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Belgium, Omega Pharma-Lotto, 3:46.
5. Jerome Coppel, France, Saur-Sojasun, 4.17.
6. Nicolas Vogondy, France, BBox Bouygues Telecom, 4:23.
7. Christophe Riblon, France, AG2R-La-Mondiale, same time.
8. Pierre Rolland, France, BBox Bouygues Telecom, 6:16.
9. Christopher Horner, United States, Team RadioShack, 6:20.
10. Sylvester Szmyd, Poland, Liquigas-Doimo, 6:57.
