Ongar's Mark Cavendish bookended his Tour of California by winning the eighth and final stage on Sunday.

The 28-year-old won the opening stage of the tour in Sacramento before taking the final stage in Thousands Oaks, even surprising himself with victory.

Speaking afterwards, Cavendish said: "To be fair I wasn’t anticipating a sprint today. I wasn’t going to start today, let alone finish.

"I had a small breakfast and then we started. [I] Rode with a few guys with the first lap, then on the second lap I actually punched it on my own during the climb. I did the whole second climb alone. Over the top, I could see the group. I was chasing the group. I finally got back to them on the descent."

The Omega Pharma-Quick Step rider finished in a time of 2.53.50 to claim his second stage win, powering for the line from 200 metres out to win by a tyre's width from Giant Shimano's John Degenkolbwith.

Fellow Brit Sir Bradley Wiggins took the overall tour title, finishing 30 seconds ahead of second-placed Dennis Rohan of Garmin-Sharp Pro.