By Arman Armero

KUALA LUMPUR?French rider Yohann Gene of Bbox Bouygues Telecom saved his best for last, outsprinting Mattia Gavazzi of Diquigiovanni-Androni to rule the KL Criterium Stage 7 which capped the seven-stage Le Tour de Langkawi 2009 here.

But except for Gene?s first-ever stage victory, the jersey holders held on to their position from last Saturday?s result, with most of the riders completing the 6.7-kilometer, 12-lap criterium in one hour, 38 minutes and 20 seconds.

Gene outsprinted green jersey holder Mattia Gavazzi by a wheel in a frenetic race in the last 500 meters to mark the first time that the Italian was beaten at his own game. But Gavazzi?s Diquigiovanni-Androni still went home with all the coveted prizes in this year?s Tour.

The 25-year-old Gavazzi himself retained the Best Sprinter title with 97 points, while teammate Jose Rodolfo Serpa Perez ran away with his first individual title (yellow jersey) after four tries in the Tour.

?I am very happy with this win. We worked hard for this from the start and I would like to thank my teammates for their help and their support,? said Perez, who also clinched the King of the Mountain title for his gutsy ride to the Genting Highlands summit.

But the biggest prize went to Diquigiovanni-Androni, which won its second consecutive team title and fourth overall in the Tour.

Team manager Gianni Savio dedicated the team?s victory to a supporter, former Venetian goalkeeper Diego Munari, a lung cancer victim, who later established a foundation for lung cancer patients like him.

?We are very proud of Diego. He is our own Lance Armstrong in Italy. Despite his sickness, he still supported our team in this Tour,? said Savio.

After seven stages, Diquigiovanni-Androni had an aggregate 73 hours, 9 minutes and 16 seconds to bag the team title, with the Australian National Team a far second with 73:16.35, and Fuji Servetto third with 73:20:35.

Tonton Susanto, who arrived with the main group at the finish line, likewise, retained his grip on the Best Asian Rider title, but his Malaysian Team Letua fell short in the Asian team classification and settled for runner-up honors behind the Iran National Team.

The Iranians, bannered by Hosein Askari, Ghader Mizbani, Mehdi Sohrabi, Hossien Nateghi, Amir Zargari and Hosein Alizadeth, topped the Asian classification with a total clocking of 73:28:20, or 3:18 better than Letua?s 73:31.38.