Milan – Italian Vincenzo Nibali underlined his form ahead of the three-week Giro d'Italia by winning the final stage and overall victory at the 37th edition of the Giro del Trentino on Friday.
Overnight leader Maxime Bouet went into the fourth and final stage, held over 166.8 km between Arco and Sega di Ala, with a 3min 19sec lead on Belarusian Kanstantsin Siutsou of Team Sky and 3:56
on Astana team leader Nibali.
However the Frenchman who rides for AG2R, struggled early on the tough, 11km final ascent on which reigning Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins fell off the pace after suffering mechanical problems.
In the end, Bouet trailed over the finish line 4:42 behind Nibali, missing the title by just under a minute.
Nibali completed the five-stage, four-day race in a total time of 17hr 49min 11sec, with fellow Italian Mauro Santambrogio second at 21sec and Bouet third overall at 55.
Wiggins, who lost precious time after angrily throwing his malfunctioning bike to the side of the road around 5km from the finish, trailed home 1:39 behind Nibali to finish fifth overall at 1:40.
Another former Tour de France champion, Australian Cadel Evans, was eighth overall at 2:18 having come over the finish line one minute behind Nibali.
The Giro d'Italia, a major objective this season for Wiggins and Nibali, will be held May 4-25. – Sapa-AFP