Australia's 2009 world road race champion Cadel Evans won the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race following Tuesday's final stage, a 9.3km time-trial around San Benedetto del Tronto, won by Swiss Fabian Cancellara.
Having taken the overall race lead on Sunday and consolidated it with victory on Monday, Evans was in a strong position coming into the final time-trial.
However the BMC team leader, a former two-time runner-up in the Tour de France, took plenty of risks early on, coming close to potential disaster on several tight bends.
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In the end the Australian, who only kicked his season off two weeks ago, did enough to finish 11secs ahead of Dutchman Robert Gesink of Rabobank, who leapfrogged Italian Michele Scarponi into second place.
"First stage race of the year is done and a good start to 2011 if I say so myself," said the 34-year-old on his website.
Evans, who also finished third in the 2009 Tour of Spain, conceded that the stage had been set for specialist Cancellara but he had been concerned that overall victory might slip away because of rustiness.
"I was okay, it took me 2-3km to get into my rhythm, having eight months since my last 'crono', not surprising, but a bit of a worry when you only have 6km to make for lost time.
"My time trial legs eventually got into gear, enough to hold onto my general classification position, and happily get the trophy."
Evans' next target is the Tour of Catalonia - which runs from March 21-27 - and admitted that the tougher climbs would test him.
"A different style of race there, on longer climbs against a field of climbers," said Evans.
"We'll see ...I am not quite there yet on the really long passes like we will face in Andorra, but I won't be bad...."
Despite the comparatively short distance, no one could touch world and Olympic time-trial champion Cancellara, whose time of 10min 33sec left the rest trailing in the Leopard-Trek rider's wake.
Dutchman Lars Boom, also of Rabobank, took second on the stage, nine seconds back, with Italy's Adriano Malori third at 18 seconds.
Results from the final stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico race on Tuesday, a 9.3km time-trial around San Benedetto del Tronto:
Stage
1. Fabian Cancellara (SUI/Leopard Trek) 10min 33sec,
2. Lars Boom (NED/Rabobank) at 09sec,
3. Adriano Malori (ITA/Lampre) 18,
4. Rick Flens (NED/Rabobank) 20,
5. Bert Grabsch (GER/HTC-Highroad) 22
Overall
1. Cadel Evans (AUS/BMC) 27hr 37min 37sec,
2. Robert Gesink (NED/Rabobank) at 11sec,
3. Michele Scarponi (ITA/Lampre) 15,
4. Ivan Basso (ITA/Liquigas) 24,
5. Vincenzo Nibali (ITA/Liquigas) 30sec
