In the last kilometer of Ruta del Sol's toughest and toughest closing stage, overall leader Wout Poels fended off multiple attacks to claim his first stage race victory since 2016.

The road curved relentlessly toward the summit finish in the hilltop village of Chiclana de Segura, and Poels had to chase down the rapid attacks of last year's winner Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana Cazacustan), and Simon Yates (Bike Exchange-Jayco)

However, the team was not able to follow up.

But as Poels said after taking his second and decisive leader's jersey, he could also count on the presence of the Grand Tour stars who helped Bahrain Victorious in his bid for his third win of the season.

"There was a time when Jack [Haig], Mikel [Landa], and Damiano [Caruso] worked for me. That was really special and I really appreciate it," Poels said.

"You can't win without a team like we had yesterday," Poels said. This was a reference to the crunch stage, where an early group attack by GC favorites and support riders sank previous race leader Alessandro Covi (UAE Team Emirates).

"It was a really strong group," he said. I couldn't be happier for me with two wins in two days."

He finished the final stage in 15th place, but safely in first place, and while waiting for the podium ceremony, Poels' teammates leaned out from the race barriers to congratulate the 34-year-old, a testament to their mutual joy.

"Wout had a great run yesterday," Poels said. So the team did everything we could to help him run the best he could."

For Bahrain Victorious as a team, Poels' victory was the first by a Dutchman at Ruta del Sol since Joost Posthuma narrowly edged the late Xavier Tondo in 2009, and a confirmation of the team's plan to continue in 2022 what it left behind in 2021 was a confirmation, he said.

"Santiago Buitrago won in Saudi Arabia, and I think early wins are always important for a team. 'Especially last year we had great success with all the wins,' he said."

"I'm really happy to be a part of that and it takes some of the stress out of the early season. Besides, winning always feels good."

The stage itself, as most had expected, gradually turned steeper after a very gradual section in the beginning, but still not overly hard, and narrowed down to a final climb that led to a 2-km finale.

Lopez attacked on the steady uphill finish and won several races. Poels, who had been monitoring 10 riders within 30 seconds of each other on GC, said he was chasing the Colombian closest on the climbs, which perfectly suited Lopez's skills.

"I thought it was going to be a little more hectic. Quick Step closed the gap pretty strongly early on because people weren't happy with the break. It was a big group, but the closest group was six minutes overall," Poels said. [I think the team did a really good job. We controlled the last climb well and only had a little stress in the last kilometer. Lopez was the scariest and Yates was there too. He was super fast in the last kilometer, so I couldn't give him much room. Cristian Rodriguez also went, but I managed."

Poels, who earned his first overall stage race win since Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana in 2016, joked, "It took a little while, but better late than never," as the 34-year-old heads to Paris-Nice for his next stage.

He will be followed by the Catalunya Volta, the Ardennes (Poels won Liege-Bastogne-Liege five years ago), and the Giro d'Italia. The Tour remains a possibility, but as Poels said, "First the Giro, then we'll think about it."