Power joins an illustrious list

Three weeks, 21 stages and 3,700 kilometres after the race began with a prologue on the streets of Rome, Ciaran Power yesterday joined an illustrious list of Irish cyclists when he became only the seventh one to complete one of cycling's three week Grand Tours.

The Linda McCartney team rider sprinted home 13th on the final stage of the Tour of Italy, a 198 km trek from Turin to Milan to put a cap on what has been both the best and most difficult performance of his five-month-old professional career. Power's experiences in the race have been marked by extremes; on two occasions he went dangerously close to the daily time limit on stages, but also achieved excellent stage placings of fifth and sixth along the way.

He also registered two further top-20 placings in bunch sprints, enough to suggest that he is capable of winning a stage in the race in the near future.

For now, though, placing 122nd of 179 starters in the second biggest race in cycling will be a deep source of satisfaction for the 24-year-old first year professional, and surely guarantees his place in the as-yet unannounced squad of two Irish riders to dispute the Olympic road race.

The Tour of Italy was won by Stefano Garzelli, who after days of trying finally usurped fellow Italian Francesco Casagrande in Saturday's 34 km individual time trial to the summit of Sestrieres. Mariano Piccoli won yesterday's final stage in Milan, outsprinting four other Italians for the line.