Frenchman Laurent Jalabert made a victorious comeback to his native soil when he won the Tour of the Mediterranean on Sunday. The world number one rider in the UCI rankings finished in the main bunch at the end of the 125.5-kms sixth and last stage from La Seyne sur Mer to Marseille, won in a massive sprint by Italian Mario Cipollini.
The ONCE team leader had refused to race in France last season and had not been back on his country's roads since he quit the 1998 Tour de France in the wake of the Festina doping scandal. "To be back racing in France after months of absence was important. It is all the more remarkable as I won," said Jalabert, who took the overall lead on the second day and won the crucial finish at the top of the Mont Faron over Toulon on Saturday.
"It gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season," he added. Jalabert, who won the Tour of Spain but has never been a leading contender in the Tour de France, said he would give it a try this season after shunning last year's event.
