POPE LEO XIV blessed cyclists taking part in the final stage of the Giro d’Italia race on Sunday, and told them that they were “role models for young people all over the world”.

In the final of the three-week race, 159 competitors from 29 countries cycled through the Vatican Gardens. “May God bless all of you on this last part of the Giro d’Italia,” the Pope told them. “Congratulations to all of you. May you know that you are always welcome here in the Vatican. You are always welcome by the Church, which represents God’s love for all people.”

Popes have blessed Giro cyclists, who have passed near St Peter’s Square, in the past, but this year was the first that the peloton rode inside the walls of the Vatican.

The British cyclist who won the competition, Simon Yates, shook hands with the Pope and presented him with a duplicate of his pink jersey.

The Pope also met leaders of other classifications. Addressing the group, he said: “I hope that, just as you take care of your bodies, your spirits will always be blessed. Always be attentive to the whole person: body, mind, heart, and spirit.”

The Giro d’Italia has 21 stages and covers 3443.3km in total. The final stage started with the neutral transfer through the Vatican City. The race then headed towards the coast via the EUR business district, before returning to the stage start via Ostia.