Having safely negotiated the 115-kilometre, largely ceremonial final stage in Rome, the 33-year-old Team Sky rider finished 46 seconds clear of second-placed 2017 Giro champion Tom Dumoulin in the general classification.

Froome's sixth Grand Tour title, following last year's fourth Tour de France win and maiden La Vuelta victory, sees him become the seventh man to have won all three races and just the third to hold the three titles simultaneously -- Eddy Merckx in 1973 and Bernard Hinault nine years later are the others to have done so.

Froome said on Eurosport: "I don't think it has quite sunk in yet, but I'm sure it will over the next few days once I've had a bit of time to reflect.

"It has just been incredible. Obviously for any cyclist this is the dream. To have all three leaders' jerseys in the space of 10 months is just an incredible, incredible feeling. I'm still pinching myself."

Sunday's stage was won by Sam Bennett, also the winner of stages seven and 12 - he is the most successful Irish rider in the Giro's history for stage wins.