Laurens De Plus of Belgium earned his first International Cycling Union World Tour title ©Twitter

Laurens De Plus of Belgium earned his first International Cycling Union (UCI) World Tour title after taking the overall victory in the BinckBank Tour.

The 23-year-old started the final day in third place, 12 seconds behind compatriot and leader Tim Wellens.

He then finished third in today's 178.6 kilometres stage, which started in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw and concluded in Geraardsbergen, both Belgian cities. 

De Plus had escaped from the main group of cyclists, alongside fellow Belgians Oliver Naesen and Greg Van Avermaet, with 20km left to go. 

Naesen was the winner in the final sprint, crossing the line in 3 hours 52min 40sec, with Van Avermaet second and De Plus completing the podium. 

Belgium's Oliver Naesen was winner in the final stage of the BinckBank Tour, finishing second overall ©Getty Images
Belgium's Oliver Naesen was winner in the final stage of the BinckBank Tour, finishing second overall ©Getty Images

The result was enough to propel De Plus to the top of the standings with a total time of 21:29:55.

Naesen took second place overall, while Wellens had to make do with third after finishing 30 seconds off Naesen.

Van Avermaet claimed fourth place. 

The BinckBank Tour consisted of seven stages, taking place in both The Netherlands and Belgium.

The classic Vuelta a España, from August 24 to September 15, is due to be the next event on the UCI World Tour.