As the Tour Ta' Malta en-tered its final stage, it was all but confirmed that a Briton would be taking home the red jersey. The question was which one. Roy Chamberlain was the favourite but a slim lead of 14 seconds over Mark McKay meant that anything was possible.

At the end of the last stage, that took cyclists from Sliema to Mellieha and back, McKay admitted that he hadn't given the possibility of winning much thought.

"Roy was always in command," McKay said. "Obviously, I tried hard but I knew that he had an advantage over me."

Chamberlain confirmed as much but without dropping any hint of pretentiousness.

"My main aim today was not to get caught out," he said, "so I made sure that I always had something in reserve. This was the second time that I took part. In 2001 I came third so I was very motivated to win it this time around.

"It's a very good Tour and I have to say that it was perfectly organised. We had some beginners with us and it was a good experience for them."

Many other cyclists expressed similar opinions. While stating that he was "very happy" to finish second, McKay praised the organisers for their dedication and commended the tour for its "scenic route".

Italian rider Alessandro Mansueto won yesterday's stage with a flying finish. He broke clear from the third kilometre, a bold decision given the forceful winds.

His finishing time of 1.27.43 was almost a minute better than that of second-placed Martin Quill who managed to fend off Gregorio Tsartakis in a sprint finish.

At the launch of this year's Tour ta' Malta, the local federation announced that an Australian cyclist of Maltese origins would be taking part to gauge his potential in view of the GSSE.

That cyclist - David Treacy - had to prove himself and prove himself he did by finishing third overall in 5:56.24 behind Chamberlain (5:55.03) and McKay (5:55.18).

"It was very hard to hold on to my position," he said. "But I felt good and now I am very happy. And I'm also honoured to represent Malta on the podium."

Although his performance should book him a place to Andorra, Treacy spoke cautiously on this subject.

"I hope to represent Malta perhaps with my good friend Roderick Muscat. He has helped me a lot but it's not in my hands," he said.

"I have to thank my club Mosta CC who have been very supportive as well as the local federation."

Otherwise, it was an unlucky Tour for the Maltese and there was none of the excitement of last year's edition when Roderick Muscat missed victory by a whisker.

The first Maltese in yesterday's stage was Dermot Galea (1.28.55) for whom this was a welcome reprieve given some earlier misfortune.

"I suffered punctures in the first and third stages so I was extremely disheartened," he said. "Thankfully, today everything went well and I achieved a good result. I felt good even though most of the time I had to cycle without much support."

Stephania Magri (1.42.43) was the first Maltese female cyclist both yesterday and overall (5:12.52).

"I felt very comfortable throughout the race," she said. "I kept up with the others in the hills and tried to hold my own in the sprint. I'd like to dedicate this performance to the Pope and also all those who have shown faith in me: my family, friends, my coach John Walsh and my brother Brian."

Overall, Katarina Blum secured her second successive Tour success when she won the final stage thus overtaking previous leader Nadine Krpal who faded badly.

"I was out injured for four months so I wasn't expecting to win. It's a good feeling," said the delighted German whose accumulated time was 4.50.32.

Rita Spallini (1.38.46) and Caroline Bedingfield (1.38.5) came second and third on the day.

Bedingfield (4:53.45) and Nicola Hudson (4:54.27) were second and third in the overall standings.