Edvald Boasson Hagen held on to claim his second Tour of Britain victory after a controversial final stage in central London.
The Norwegian MTN-Qhubeka rider maintained his 13-second lead over Team Sky's Wouter Poels to finish top of the general classification in a total time of 34 hours 52 minutes and 52 seconds. Britain's Owain Doull finished third overall.
After a fallow season last year – having turned professional in 2006 – Hagen has returned to winning ways, but it remains to be seen whether this is a one-off victory or a catalyst for greater things.
“I’m in good shape for the world championship,” he said afterwards, agreeing that he had probably won the race at the moment when he escaped from the main group three kilometres from the stage finish in Nottingham, extending his lead on Poels from a single second to a more defendable 13.
The stage itself – the eighth of the race, a 14-lap, 86.8km route through the capital's streets – was won by Team Sky's Elia Viviani after a review.
Andre Griepel initially appeared to have taken victory in a sprint finish but was later ruled to have deviated from his line in an act of dangerous riding. Viviani was promoted to first.
