The Pole rides for Team Sky, whose reputation has recently been described as being "in tatters" by British Parliamentary Select Committee chairman Damian Collins.

The Committee was told this earlier week that there were "zero records" from a doctor who delivered a package to Team Sky rider Bradley Wiggins at the 2011 Criterium du Dauphine.

Kwiatkowski won the 175 kilometres race in a time of 4 hours 42min 42sec, beating nearest challenger Greg Van Avermaet of Belgium by 15 seconds.

Van Avermaet’s compatriot Tim Wellens was a further two seconds back in third.

Victory for Kwiatkowski is his second in the event, having also won in 2014.

World champion Peter Sagan of Slovakia was forced to pull out with around 70km remaining after complaining of feeling unwell.

In the women’s event, home favourite Elisa Longo-Borghini of Wiggle High5 triumphed in a time of 3:44:45.

She rode away from Poland’s Kasia Niewiadoma in the final metres of the 127km race, winning by a margin of two seconds.

Niewiadoma’s runners-up finish was her second in as many years in the event.

She was followed in the standings by Great Britain’s Lizzie Deignan, the winner in Siena wearing the rainbow jersey 12 months ago, who was five seconds off the pace.