Greg Van Avermaet sprinted to victory on the final stage of the Tour de Wallonie to seal the overall win in the event.
Belgian takes second stage win of race
Greg Van Avermaet sprinted to victory on the final stage of the Tour de Wallonie to seal the overall win in the event.
The BMC rider took advantage of strong work from his team-mates in the closing kilometres and kicked first to take the victory and the yellow jersey in fine style.
The Belgian edged out his general classification rival Joost Van Leijen (Vacansoleil) on the line after the duo had duked it out on the final climb.
It was Van Leijen who attacked first at the foot of the Mur de Thuin with two kilometres remaining and forced a reaction from Van Avermaet on the cobbled climb.
The duo had begun the day dead level in the standings but the final stage victory saw Van Avermaet prosper by a slender four seconds.
Ben Hermans (RadioShack) took third on the stage to ensure that the top-three mirrored that of the overall standings, the Belgian ending the five-day race 22 seconds back on his compatriot.
Thrilling finale
A number of early moves tried to break clear on a day that was always likely to be hard-fought with the overall lead still hanging in the balance.
As the race hit the coast there was an attack with Michael Barry (Sky), Kenny De Haes (Omega Pharma-Lotto), Frederique Robert (Quick Step) and Mirko Selvaggi (Vacansoleil) forcing an advantage of a few seconds.
The quartet held on just long enough to crest the day's first climb before being swallowed up, making way for a second wave of attackers that were finally allowed to move clear as seven riders combined to soak up the points and bonus seconds at the intermediate sprints.
The tough Mur de Thuin began to take its toll on the tough finishing circuit with the breakaway eventually forced to concede defeat as BMC ensured the pace was high in the bunch.
An elite group of contenders rose to the top after the final ascent of the climb with Barry leading the group under the flamme rouge, yet it was Van Avermaet who timed his kick perfectly to take the spoils on the day.
