High speeds, paving bricks and torrential rain were not the right combination for Sunday’s final stage of the 11th Tour de Langkawi. The final-stage criterium was called early after multiple crashes and rider caution split the 102-strong peloton on the ninth of 18 laps of a 3.1km circuit in downtown Kuala Lumpur.

The stage winner’s first prize went to Spaniard Angel Vallejo of Relax-Gam, who was on a solo break when “rain stopped play,” while South African David George took overall victory in the 10-day race by 1:52 over Italian Francesco Bellotti of Credit Agricole.

The top American was Bellotti’s teammate Saul Raisin, who came in 11th, 7:41 back. The 23-year-old from Georgia missed the break that gained 7:26 on the flat opening stage, but came back to win stage 3 at Cameron Highlands, the first of two mountain top finishes, in a two-man sprint over George. The South African defended the yellow jersey for the remaining seven stages.

The only U.S.-based team in the Malaysian stage race, Navigators Insurance, placed its Colombian climber Cesar Grajales in fourth overall, 2:31 behind George, while its Canadian rider Mark Walter finish 12th on GC, at 8:30. Navigators placed eighth in the team competition, 47 minutes down on winners Selle Italia-Diquigiovanni — which placed three men in the top six: Italy’s Gabriel Missaglia (third) and Colombians Walter Pedraza (fifth) and José Serpa (sixth).

The victory was somewhat bittersweet for George, 29, from Cape Town. This past winter, he was dropped from his country’s major pro team Barloworld, after a change of team management, whereas his main support rider in Langkawi, 2004 race winner Ryan Cox, and four other South Africans still have contracts with the 17-man continental professional squad.

His victory in Langkawi, an hors-catégorie stage race on the UCI Asia Tour, is the best for George in nine years at the elite level. Previously he had won three editions of South Africa’s Giro del Capo and his country’s national championship in both the time trial and road race.Final Overall
1. George, David (RSA), South Africa 26:43:55
2. Bellotti, Francesco (ITA), Credit Agricole, at01:52
3. Missaglia, Gabriele (ITA), Selle Italia Diquigiovanni, at 01:56
4. Grajales, Cesar (COL), Navigators Insurance, at02:31
5. Pedraza, Walter (COL), Selle Italia Diquigiovanni, at 03:11
6. Serpa, José (COL), Selle Italia Diquigiovanni, at 04:20
7. Elias Galindo, Jose (ESP), Relax-Gam, at04:41
8. Lefevre, Laurent (FRA), Bouygues Telecom, at04:46
9. Sharman, Robin (GBR), Recyling.Co.Uk, at04:57
10. Poilvet, Benoit (FRA), Credit Agricole, at05:15
11. Raisin, Saul (USA), Credit Agricole, at07:41
12. Walters, Mark (CAN), Navigators Insurance, at 08:30