The 34-year-old returned from an illness-enforced six-week break from competitive cycling to play a key role in the week-long tour, which forms an alternative route to his traditional involvement in the Tour de France.

Porte finished fourth in the queen stage up Mount Baldy when his trademark misfortune again struck at an inopportune time to prevent him from pushing for a podium finish.

Trouble with his chain in the closing stages forced the Trek-Segafredo team leader to settle for fifth place overall, which he held on the final stage when he finished 32^nd after 141 kilometres from Santa Clarita to Pasadena.

Porte collected 120 UCI points from his week's work, finishing 41 seconds behind Slovenian winner Tadej Pogacar (Team Emirates) with his nearest challenger another 22 seconds further back.

"It was nice to be back at the front of a bike race again," Porte said.

"The guys did an amazing job the whole week. We made the race hard and it's just great what the guys did to back me especially after my last races where things didn't go as I wanted to. It feels really good to be back in the game."

The Tasmanian is scheduled to contest the Critérium du Dauphiné from June 9 ahead of what would be his ninth Tour de France from July 6.

Another 34-year-old Tasmanian tackling a Grand Tour for Trek-Segafredo is Campbell Town's Will Clarke who continues to play a team role at the Giro d'Italia.

Clarke finished the eighth and longest stage (239km into the Adriatic coastal town of Pesaro) in 146^th place, 11:39 behind compatriot and former Launceston Classic winner Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal).

Overall, Clarke sits 162^nd of 164 riders, 1:26:38 behind the leader with a 34.8km individual time trial from Riccione to San Marino before the race's first rest day.

The Giro is Clarke's second Grand Tour after the 2017 Vuelta a Espana and he remains a chance to be among Porte's support crew on the road to Paris.

Scott Bowden filled that role at the 2016 Olympic road race in Brazil and now finds himself on the opposite side of the Pacific contesting the Tour of Japan.

The 24-year-old has been training around his home in Hobart since the Tour of Taiwan in March and has been named in a strong BridgeLane team for the eight-stage tour which begins with a 2.6km prologue in Sakai.

He is joined by national road race silver medallist Chris Harper and the last two Tour of Tasmania winners Dylan Sunderland and Lionel Mawditt.

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