12, 2011 - Bradley Wiggins became the third Briton to win the Criterium du Dauphine after Spain's Joaquin Rodriguez took the final 117.5k stage beween Pontcharra and La Toussuire on Sunday.
The Team Sky rider, who is a triple Olympic gold medallist and came fourth in the Tour de France two years ago, finished 1min 26sec ahead of the Australian Cadel Evans (BMC) in the overall standingss with the Kazakh Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) another 23 seconds back.
The Belgian Jurgen Van den Broeck (Omega-Lotto) took fourth in front of Katusha rider Rodriguez and the Frenchman Christophe Kerne (EUC) who won Friday's stage.
The 31-year-old Wiggins follows in the footsteps of Brian Robinson in 1961 and Robert Millar in 1990 as the only British winners of this traditional Tour de France warm-up race.
In the final stage, a relatively short but mountainous stretch that includes the climbs of Glandon and La Toussuire, Rodriguez produced a stunning final kick to claim his second victory in two days.
The Spaniard spun off in the final kilometre to finish eight seconds clear of rising French hope Thibault Pinot (FDJ) and Dutchman Robert Gesink (Rabobank).
The 21-year-old Pinot had made the early breakaway before being caught by Thomas Voeckler (EUC). He began the final climb less than a minute ahead of Gesink who was heading the first chasing group.
Pinot, Gesink and Voeckler were later joined by the Dane Chris Sorensen (SBS) but they were caught by Rodriguez with under a kilometre to go.