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Belgium's Philippe Gilbert ended the season by winning the hilly 242km Tour of Lombardy.

It was his fourth consecutive victory in 10 days after also winning the Coppa Sabatini, Paris-Tours and Grande Piemonte races.

Gilbert attacked six kilometres from the finish, near the top of the last climb.

Only Spain's Samuel Sanchez was able to go with him but Gilbert beat the Olympic road race champion in the sprint in the centre of Como.

Russia's Alexandr Kolobnev finished third, seven seconds adrift, to bring home a group of chasers.

Luca Paolini was the highest ranked Italian finishing in fourth place. It was only the 10th time an Italian rider had not finished on the podium in the 103 editions of the event.

Damiano Cunego's bid to equal Alfedo Binda's total of four victories was foiled as he finished 14th while Ireland's Dan Martin (Garmin Slipstream) was eighth.

"It's great to win this race and take four in a row," Gilbert said.

"This is usually a really hard race but with my form at the moment, I can climb, sprint and do everything. I'm really strong.

"It's a pity the season is over but it's great to end it with a big win. A lot of people said I can't win big races but I've proved them wrong."

Gilbert's team mate and new world champion Cadel Evans, who finished 10th, played a key role in helping his Silence-Lotto colleague.

The Australian chased down a dangerous move on the final climb, allowing Gilbert to make his attack at exactly the right moment.

"Evans set a really high pace and that was perfect for me," said the winner. "The whole team was strong and played a huge part."

The 27-year-old Gilbert is the first Belgian to win the race since Fons de Wolf in 1980.

The Tour of Lombardy is the final race of the ProTour series and traditionally brings down the curtain on the European season.

The 2010 ProTour begins with the Tour Down Under in Australia on January 19.

Reuters