KEY POINTS:
New Zealand cyclist Julian Dean finished a week of near-misses on an appropriate note when he was second in the final stage of the Tour of Britain in Liverpool this morning (NZ time).
Today's result in the 110km stage from Blackpool followed a second, fourth and two fifth placings in the eight-stage tour for sprint specialist.
He was pipped today by former Tour de France and Giro stage winner Alessandro Petacchi of Italy, his third stage win of the race after returning from a doping ban imposed after using an asthma inhaler.
Dean's team was 23rd overall, 10 minutes 36 seconds behind French winner Geoffroy Lequatre while helping his Garmin-Chipotle team win the teams' classification.
The New Zealaner is in sharp form, having finished third overall in this month's Tour of Ireland.
Lequatre was a comfortable British tour winner today after his Agritubel team controlled the final stage.
He was 5sec ahead of Britain's Steve Cummings of the Barloworld team.
- NZPA
