Yellow jersey Kristen Faulkner (Bike Exchange-Jayco) and Lucinda Brand (Trek-Segafredo) won the overall battle for the Tour de Suisse by just a few seconds going into the summit finish of stage 4.

The race went right down to the wire, but Brand had a technical finish on the rain-soaked roads, and as they approached the tight final corner, Faulkner slipped and hit the pavement.

"It was all to play for until the final climb, but Kristen rode a great race. She was able to catch Brando in the last kilometer, but unfortunately it was not enough to drop her and she crashed in the last corner," said Alejandro Gonzalez Tablas, sport director of Bike Exchange-Jayco. But everything was positive today and the team rode really strong. I'm looking forward to the next race.

Faulkner won the stage 2 time trial and held the overall lead through stage 3 into the final day. He started the 98.5 km between Chur and the summit finish of stage 4, Lantu/Lenz, four seconds behind Brand, but knew the race would be decided on the final 6 km climb in Lantu.

Faulkner gained a one-second time bonus in the first intermediate sprint, extending his lead to five seconds.

Brand and Yolanda Neff (Switzerland), however, started the race in fifth place overall; the two were 50 seconds ahead of the rest of the field, and Brand earned a three-second time bonus in the next intermediate sprint.

Brand chased on the final climb, pulling away from Neff, but was unable to hold off an incredible performance by Faulkner, who closed the gap in the final kilometer.

Together they rode through the final twists and turns in the pouring rain to take the stage win and the overall title. With a 10-second bonus for the stage win and a 6-second bonus for second place, the difference was decisive for the overall win.

But as Brand sprinted around the final bend, Faulkner slipped. The yellow jersey slammed to the pavement and Brand crossed the finish line celebrating his stage 4 victory and overall win. Faulkner finished in second place, 15 seconds behind.

Faulkner was in her first season with Bike Exchange-Jayco, and while she may have lost the race, it bodes well for her next goal in the Women's World Tour.