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German Linus Gerdemann won the Tour of Germany after the final stage, a time trial in Bremen.

The 25-year-old Columbia rider finished 52 seconds ahead of team mate Thomas Lovkvist of Sweden, with Slovenian Janez Brajkovic one minute 34 seconds behind in third.

Gerdemann placed fourth in Saturday's 34-km individual time trial won by compatriot and team mate Tony Martin. Second on the last stage was German Bert Grabsch.

After Jens Voigt's back-to-back overall victories in 2006 and 2007, Gerdemann's win is the third in a row for a local rider.

STAGE SEVEN

Frenchman Stephane Auge of the Cofidis team outsprinted compatriot Thierry Dupond and Italian Mauro Da Dalto to win the seventh stage of the Tour of Germany.

The trio were among a group of 11 who broke clear after 30 kms of the 214.3 kms stage from Neuss to Georgsmarienhutte.

With just one stage left to race, Linus Gerdemann of Germany remains in the overall lead after finishing safely in the main pack.

The Columbia rider's team mate Thomas Lovkvist is in second place, 17 seconds behind, with Janez Brajkovic of Slovenia third 20 seconds behind.

Saturday's final stage is a 34 kms individual time.

STAGE SIX

Finn Jussi Veikkanen of Francaise des Jeux out-sprinted Maxim Iglinsky of Kazakhstan and Frenchman Thierry Hupond to win the sixth stage of the Tour of Germany.

The trio were among a group of 11 who broke clear after 65 km of the 188 km stage from Bad Fredeburg to Neuss.

Veikkanen clocked four hours 17 minutes 22 seconds to win ahead of second-placed Iglinksy and Hupond who recorded the same time.

German Linus Gerdemann retained the overall lead.

Friday's penultimate stage takes the riders over 214.3 km to Georgsmarienhuette.

STAGE FIVE

German Gerald Ciolek won the final mass sprint of the Tour of Germany's 218-km fifth stage from Mainz to Winterberg to ensure the Columbia team maintained their hold on the race.

Ciolek, who had helped compatriot and team mate Andre Greipel win the previous stage, crossed the line ahead of Swiss Rubens Bertogliati and Italian Leonardo Bertagnolli, the winner of stage three.

Columbia's Linus Gerdemann retained his overall lead ahead of another Columbia rider, Sweden's Thomas Loevkvist, who himself leads the points classification.

The longest stage in this Tour was marked by a long breakaway by Sweden's Gustav Larsson, who broke early with a group of five other riders before going on by himself.

The Olympic time-trial silver medallist was caught with 20 kilometres to go when the Columbia team started to prepare the final sprint.

Thursday's 188.8-km sixth stage takes the peloton from Bad Fredeburg to Neuss and again looks set to favour sprinters.

STAGE FOUR

Home rider Andre Greipel won a mass sprint at the end of the Tour of Germany's 174-km fourth stage from Wiesloch to Mainz.

The Columbia team sprinter produced a surge over the last 100 metres to beat Australian Robbie McEwen and fellow German Robert Forster.

Another Columbia rider from Germany, Linus Gerdemann, retained the overall lead at the end of the short, flat stage.

He was 17 seconds in front of Swede Thomas Lovkvist.

Frenchman Thomas Voeckler and Belgian Tom Stubbe went clear early on but were caught with seven kilometres to go.

Columbia worked the mass sprint perfectly as Gerald Ciolek led Greipel towards the line.

Greipel has had his best season by far in 2008, winning four stages in the Tour Down Under, one in the Giro d'Italia and another last week in the Eneco Tour.

Wednesday's 218.5-km fifth stage to Winterberg is the longest on the Tour.

STAGE THREE

Italian Leonardo Bertagnolli underlined his reputation as an end of season specialist by winning the 214km third stage of the Tour of Germany between Herrieden and Wiesloch.

The Liquigas rider outwitted Spaniard Daniel Navarro, who had broken away with him, to triumph in five hours, 20 minutes and 34 seconds ahead of Rigoberto Uran of Colombia.

German Linus Gerdemann kept the overall lead ahead of Columbia team-mate Thomas Loevkvist of Sweden, who was third in the stage.

The 30-year-old Bertagnolli has produced several good displays in August and September, taking the Clasica San Sebastian last year before finishing fourth in the Tour of Germany.

He also won a Vuelta a Espana stage in 2005.

Most of Monday's action took place on the Koenigstuhl climb 25km from the finish when the peloton caught the day's two escapees, Christian Knees and Johannes Frohlinger of Germany.

Then, with 15km to go, Navarro attacked with Bertagnolli and Finn Jussi Veikkanen.

Tuesday's 172.8km fourth stage takes the riders from Wiesloch to Mainz.

STAGE TWO

Spaniard David De La Fuente of the Scott-American Beef team won the second stage of the Tour of Germany over 182.6 kms from Munich.

De La Fuente powered out of the pack with less than one km to go to prevail at the summit of the category-three Hesselberg pass, beating Italian Pietro Caucchioli and Swede Thomas Lovkvist.

German Linus Gerdemann of Team Columbia was fifth, safe in a chasing group two seconds adrift, and retained the overall leader's yellow jersey.

He leads team mate Lovkvist by 17 seconds overall, with Slovenia's Janez Brajkovic of Astana third three seconds further back.

Four riders, including Tour de France best climber Bernhard Kohl of Austria, broke away some 100 kms from the finish, building up a two-minute advantage over the peloton.

They were, however, caught by a group of leading riders with five kms remaining.

De La Fuente, a relentless attacker in this year's Tour de France, then waited a few minutes before making the decisive move.

STAGE ONE

German Linus Gerdemann took command of the Tour of Germany with victory in the first stage, a 178-km ride from Kitzbuehel.

The Team Columbia rider beat team mate Thomas Lovkvist of Sweden by 16 seconds in an uphill finish in the Austrian resort of Hochfuegen.

Slovenia's Janez Brajkovic of the Astana team was third, also 16 seconds behind Gerdemann.

The 25-year-old Gerdemann, who missed the Tour de France after fracturing his thigh bone in the Tirreno-Adriatico stage-race in March, leads Lovkvist by 17 seconds in the overall standings.

Gerdemann, who won a mountain stage in last year's Tour de France, attacked the pack at the foot of the 13-km climb to Hochfuegen.

Despite a chain problem, the German never looked back to snatch the overall leader's yellow jersey from Australian Brett Lancaster, who had won Friday's prologue.

German Jens Voigt, who won the last two Tours of Germany, ended the stage almost nine minutes behind Gerdemann.

Reuters