He had already won the time trial and the criterium, but Serghei Tvetcov needed one last maximum effort if he was going to win the overall title.

He appeared in agony Sunday as he charged up NW Summit Drive in Bend to the finish line of the 82-mile Awbrey Butte Circuit Race, the final stage of the Bend Memorial Clinic Cascade Cycling Classic pro men’s race.

Tvetcov finished well behind the winner in the stage, Eric Marcotte, but it was just enough effort up that final climb to secure the overall victory, Tvetcov’s second straight at the six-day CCC.

The Jelly Belly team rider came into Sunday with a 41-second lead on Andres Diaz of Incycle in the overall standings. But Diaz finished just 6 seconds back of Marcotte, making up lots of time on Tvetcov.

Once the overall times were tabulated, Tvetcov came away with a slim 6-second win over second-place Diaz. Tom Zirbel of Optum took third overall, 9 seconds back.

Tvetcov won the 2013 CCC by just six seconds as well.

“Every second is important,” said Tvetcov, 25 and from Moldova. “I won the race by 6 seconds, that’s incredibly close. But anyway, the team did a great job. They just kept everything together. Really smart, really professional.”

Sunday’s race included five laps of a 16½-mile circuit along roads on and around Awbrey Butte. The race featured endless attacks as teams tried to put pressure on Jelly Belly and Tvetcov.

Marcotte of SmartStop said the race was “crazy from the gun.”

Marcotte broke away with a group of about 10 riders during the fourth lap. The break included Diaz and Zirbel, making it especially worrisome for Tvetcov.

On the final turn onto Summit Drive near Central Oregon Community College, Marcotte pedaled away from the lead group along with Colin Joyce of California Giant.

“At about 250 or 300 meters it was just a drag race between me and (Joyce),” Marcotte said. “I just outlasted him, he was going pretty strong.”

Marcotte’s winning time was 2 hours, 58 minutes, 31 seconds. Joyce finished second with the same time, and Dion Smith of Hincapie was third, also with the same time.

“It was good bike racing today,” said Marcotte, of Scottsdale, Ariz. “We did that in less than three hours, so that’s pretty fast.”

Pro cyclists like Tvetcov and others use the CCC as preparation for the upcoming Tour of Utah and the USA Pro Challenge in Colorado. Tvetcov said he hopes to soon be racing in Europe, and maybe one day the Tour de France. But he also likes winning races in the United States.

“I like this city, I like this race,” Tvetcov said of the Cascade Classic and Bend. “It’s kind of my style, it’s perfect for me. This is perfect preparation.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0318, mmorical@bendbulletin.com.