A superb team performance had seen the bulk of Team Sky's squad get themselves in the leading group of around 35 riders when the peloton split in two in the closing stages of the 216.5 kilometres WorldTour event.

The likes of Juan Antonio Flecha, Peter Kennaugh and Christian Knees first played their part and it was then Geraint Thomas who again delivered Boasson Hagen in perfect style. The Norwegian hit the front with 250 metres remaining and held all his remaining rivals at bay, with Gerald Ciolek (Quick-Step) and Borut Božic (Vacansoleil) taking second and third respectively.

It was Boasson Hagen's latest success, the last couple of months having featured his first two stage victories at the Tour de France followed by a clean sweep of the jerseys at the week-long Eneco Tour.

It all left Team Sky's Sports Director Servais Knaven understandably delighted and he said: "It was perfect again. This group have been riding together in many races this season, they know each other so well know and they do everything for each other.

"You need good riders which we've got and if they all work together as well as that then you get performances like this. They are riding strong, they keep on winning and it's great to see. It was another brilliant day."

Knaven was quick to praise Kennaugh for helping maintain the gap between the two groups once the peloton split, explaining: "Everyone did a great job and Pete was riding a lot in the closing stages to make sure the front group stayed out ahead as there were some very good sprinters 15 to 20 seconds back.

"Then we saw Flecha and Christian were really strong at the finish and of course G and Edvald then took over."

The team were heading to the airport for flights home just as Chris Sutton was making it an even more memorable day for Team Sky by taking stage two of the Vuelta a Espana and Knaven added: "The whole squad seems to have taken a big step; from around Bayern [which was won by Geraint Thomas] it was followed by the Dauphiné, the Tour de France, Eneco and then today both here and at the Vuelta where CJ's win was pretty special."

Team Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen won in the Eneco Tour in perfect fashion with an emphatic victory on the final stage on Sunday to complete a clean sweep of the overall jerseys.

The Norwegian, winner of two stages at the Tour de France, had continued his superb form throughout the seven-day race and he was once again given impressive support by his team-mates.

They repelled all attacks on the 201.2 kilometres stage around Sittard-Geleen, meaning that the field was together heading towards the finish before Boasson Hagen rounded things off in style.

Coming round the final corner he was just behind Jürgen Roelandts but the Omega Pharma-Lotto man crashed in front of him and Boasson Hagen then had daylight between himself and the rest and was able to ease up before the line and still win by around five bike lengths.

Manuel Cardoso (RadioShack) was second, with Lars Boom (Rabobank) rounding off the podium places in third.

In terms of the overall, Boasson topped the standings by 22 seconds from Gilbert, with a further six seconds back to David Millar (Garmin-Cervelo). It was his second Eneco Tour title, having won the event in 2009.

The points jersey and the young rider's jersey were also both claimed by Boasson Hagen, with the team prize going Team Sky's way too.

Afterwards Boasson Hagen was quick to pay tribute to his team-mates, saying: "We had a good plan today and with [Juan Antonio] Flecha getting in the break it allowed us to sit back, conserve energy for later and let other teams do the work.

"Then we controlled the second half of the race and I'm really thankful for all the team's support, they did a perfect job again.

“It’s been really good the whole week; we’ve grown a lot as a team from last year and it's fantastic to see."

Boasson Hagen managed to avoid the late crash coming into the finishing straight and he added: "I looked behind me and saw the other guys on the floor which wasn’t nice but it’s good they are okay and I’m really happy that I was able to pick up a stage win as well.

"I've also got to mention Geraint Thomas who did the longest lead-out ever in the final three kilometres!"

That team ethic was also underlined by Team Principal Dave Brailsford who said: "The time trial performance on Friday was a fantastic ride from Edvald but he won the overall not only because he was the strongest rider but also because he had the strongest team behind him as they've demonstrated this weekend.

"They neutralised everything again today and did a fantastic job. I think it’s another indication of the steps forward the team has made this year. That was a big goal at the start of the season and it’s proving to be exactly what’s happening so we’re very, very happy."

Not surprisingly Sports Director Servais Knaven was equally delighted with the team's display as he said: “That was a perfect day - it was a really good, strong performance from the whole team.

“Flecha got in the early break and he was best-placed on the GC in that group which was great. It meant he didn’t have to ride in the breakaway while the other guys didn’t have to chase in behind. It was up to the other teams to close the gap and that’s what happened which was ideal.

“And then at the final we had seven riders which put us in a great position to control it. They were strong all week and so motivated – when you come to the final with seven riders you’ve got so much morale and so much going for you. It was very hard for anyone to get away."

It all set up Boasson Hagen for the final flourish and Knaven was especially pleased to see him add a stage victory to his overall title, adding: “It was great for Edvald to win today – he’d tried twice to win earlier sprint stages and also went close in the time trials. To do it today in the leader’s jersey is especially nice and the perfect way to end the week."