Sapa wins final stage

Marcin Sapa of Team Lampre outsprinted his escape companion Travis Meyer (Garmin-Transitions) to win the closing stage of the Bayern Rundfahrt.

Alex Rasmussen won the sprint for third from the peloton, only a few seconds later.

HTC-Columbia's Maxime Monfort finished in the same time as Rasmussen, and defended his overall lead. He took the race win ahead of two Lampre riders, Adrian Malori and Simon Spilak.

“That was an important win for me. I don't win a lot and since that is only the fifth win in my career, I really enjoyed it,” Monfort said. “The time trial was the key to my success.”

The 27-year-old Belgian time trial champion took the race lead on Saturday when he won the time trial.

Sapa, Meyer and Wouter Mol of Vacansoleil broke away 72km into the race, on a day marked by strong winds and heavy rain. They built up a lead of up to three minutes, endangering Monfort's lead.

HTC-Columbia gave chase but was unable to catch the duo, Mol having dropped back with 25km to go. The duo crossed the finish line with a mere 16 second lead over the onrushing field.

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