ITALIAN sprint king Alessandro Petacchi yesterday claimed his fourth victory in six stages of the centenary Tour de France after an explosive burst in the closing metres in Lyon.

ITALY’S Alessandro Petacchi confirmed his reputation as the new sprint king of the Tour de France as he recorded his third stage win in five days in the centenary running of the most famous cycling race in the world.

THE US Postal team are confident they will deliver a gift-wrapped fifth victory for their leader Lance Armstrong in the centenary-year running of the Tour de France which gets underway today.