Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez won the sixth stage of the Dauphine Libere, but Englishman Bradley Wiggins' sixth-placed finish was enough for him to retain overall lead of the race.
Kathusha Team rider Rodriguez, 32, decided to break away from the leading pack with five kilometres to go and he powered on to pick up only his second stage victory of the year.
Dutchman Robert Gesink and Jurgen van den Broeck of Belgium finished the stage second and third respectively while stage five winner Christophe Kern finished fourth.
Team Sky's Wiggins finished sixth behind Alexandre Vinokourov of Kazakhstan to keep hold of the leader's yellow jersey ahead of the seventh and final 117.5km stage.
Ireland’s Nicolas Roche was forced to pull out of the race after suffering a painful fall on Friday’s stage.
Compatriot Dan Martin finished just under five minutes behind the winner in 30th on Saturday’s stage and is now 42nd in the overall standings.
