Cycling: Swift stages late thrust to hand victory to Meyer

(EPA)

Team Sky's Ben Swift yesterday won the final stage of the Tour Down Under from team-mate Greg Henderson, handing overall victory to Garmin-Cervelo's Cameron Meyer.

Swift (right), who began the day sixth overall, climbed to third as he finished just ahead of Henderson and HTC-Highroad's Matthew Goss, who had to settle for second overall, two seconds behind Australian Meyer, despite Meyer managing only 20th place on the final stage.

Swift admitted the stage was a struggle as the effects of the tour caught up with him.

"It's just a stage race, a race within a race, and I was struggling really badly halfway through after the efforts of Willunga yesterday," the Briton said. "I had to hang out there at the front."

Asked if Meyer owed him one for holding back Goss, he added: "He'd better [buy me a pint]. I am really happy for him and look forward to racing him at the worlds."

Lance Armstrong finished his last race outside the United States in 65th place out of 129, refusing to speak to reporters afterward as he did not want to discuss the latest doping allegations. Armstrong finished 103rd in the sixth stage around the streets of Adelaide and ended his farewell race 6min, 42sec behind the winner.