BELLEY, France, Aug 13, 2008 (AFP) – German rider Linus Gerdemann of the
Columbia team won the Tour de l’Ain cycling race after the fourth and final
stage here on Wednesday.

Gerdemann clocked 14hr 14min 03sec over the four stages to finish 12
seconds ahead of French rider David Moncoutie of Cofidis, with AG2R rider
Stephane Goubert of France third on 36sec.

The 25-year-old German, holder of the yellow jersey after his victory on
Tuesday, and his Columbia team-mates were dominant on the hilly Bugey stage.

In the final section, the peloton closed in on an early breakway group
consisting of Frenchmen Sebastien Joly, Benoit Poilvet and Thierry Hupond.

Last year’s winner, French rider John Gadret of AG2R, won a sprint finish
for the 135.8km stage from Culoz ahead of Finland’s Jussy Veikkanen and Greg
Van Avermaet of Belgium.

Gerdemann, a Tour de France stage winner in 2007, was ruled out of the
Beijing Olympics after failing to recover from a crash earlier this season.

Results in the Tour de l’Ain’s 135.8km
fourth and final stage from Culoz to Belley on Wednesday:

4th stage
1. John Gadret (FRA/AG2R) 3hr 25min 34sec, 2. Jussy Veikkanen (FIN) same
time, 3. Greg Van Avermaet (BEL) s.t., 4. Hubert Dupont (FRA) s.t., 5. Luis
Pasmontes (ESP) s.t.

Final overall standings
1. Linus Gerdemann (GER/Columbia) 14hr 14min 03sec, 2. David Moncoutie
(FRA) at 12sec, 3. Stephane Goubert (FRA) 36, 4. Jussy Veikkanen (FIN) 41, 5.
Luis Pasamontes (ESP) 56