British national road race champion Peter Kennaugh has won the Tour Of Austria.
Kennaugh took the lead with victory on the opening stage and keep his leader's jersey all the way through to the eighth and final stage which finished in Vienna.
The weather meant that the race was curtailed and the GC times were taken with two laps to go but Kennaugh was safely in the peloton as Katusha's Marco Haller took the stage win ahead of Jacopo Guarnieri (Astana) and Raymond Kreder (Garmin-Sharp).
“I’m really happy to be able to finish off the race and take the win," Kennaugh said to TeamSky.com.
“Heading into this year I really wanted to win a pro bike race as I was going into my fifth year as a pro without a victory. It was really good to do that at Coppi Bartali and then the nationals. I think I got a bit more confidence from those results and I had some good form after the Tour de Suisse. It was just nice to use it here and I’m happy I could finish it off.
“On the first day I wasn’t thinking much about the GC. I felt good and went for the stage and it’s gone from there really.
“The team have been really good. It was nice to see everyone get stronger each day. We had a few teething problems early on but on each stage it’s got better and better. We’ve finished the race and gelled really well. It’s been good to be a part of.”