OVO Energy Tour of Britain 2017 | Stage 4 Mansfield to Newark-on-Trent
Words by SweetSpot, Images by Chris Maher
Gaviria wins as Viviani retakes OVO Energy Green Jersey
Fernando Gaviria stormed to victory in the fourth day of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain in Newark-on-Trent as the sprinters continued to dominate the 2017 edition of the race.
Second place behind Gaviria at the finish alongside Sconce and Devon Park in Newark was Team Sky’s Elia Viviani, who retook the race lead thanks to time bonuses, moving ahead of Caleb Ewan on countback.
“I came here after a leg injury, so I’ve been missing a bit of condition and form, but day after day things went better and today I felt good and could take advantage of this”, said the 23-year-old Colombian, going on to praise his team’s efforts in helping him to his second career victory in Britain.
“The boys were spectacular! Philippe protected me going into the last ten kilometres, then Zdenek and Max took over and guided me in the final. I’m happy I could repay them by taking the stage and I hope to get other good results before the Tour of Britain will come to a conclusion.”
Viviani returns to the lead of the race, which has so far swapped between himself and Ewan, as the Australian finished fifteenth and missed out on the time bonuses for the top three.
“For sure it’s good to have the leader’s jersey back on the shoulders,” Viviani told TeamSky.com. “I’m disappointed because it was a really, really close sprint – but with one of the best sprinters in the world – so it can be a good second place.”
The Italian also retakes the lead in the Wiggle Points classification, two-points ahead of Alexander Kristoff, who has finished inside the top five on all four stages so far.
While the sprinters may have prevailed on Stage Four, their teams had to work harder for it than on previous days, with the escapees who had broken away on the Nottinghamshire stage only been caught with three-kilometres to go.
With 20-kilometres of the Nottinghamshire stage remaining, the leading group of five still had two-minute advantage, but with the sprinters teams applying pressure the gap began to fall with the catch eventually coming on the edge of Newark.
The advantage though had been enough for An Post Chain Reaction’s Jacob Scott to win the points at the sole SKODA King of the Mountains climb at Eaton Wood after Retford, moving him a point clear of Graham Briggs and into the lead of the best climber’s competition.
Briggs did however hold onto the Eisberg Sprints jersey, partnered by leading alcohol free wine brand Eisberg, but now has a slender advantage of just one-point over Mark McNally, after the Wanty Groupe Gobert rider made the most of his day in the breakaway to secure all three Eisberg Sprint victories.
The day’s second Eisberg Sprint at Ranskill also proved important as Madison Genesis’ Richard Handley picked up third and with it a one-second time bonus, moving him above Chris Lawless as the Best British Rider, sponsored by Suffolk brewer Adnams.
Stage Five of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain takes place in the Tendring district of Essex, with riders facing an individual time trial over a classic British distance of 10-miles / 16-kilometres. Graham Briggs, wearing the Eisberg Sprints Jersey will be the first rider away at 12:01, with race leader Elia Viviani the final rider off at 14:04. Live coverage begins on ITV4 at 11:45.
Stage Winner 81 GAVIRIA Fernando Quick Step Floors COL
Combativity HIGH5 116 SLATER Alistair Jlt Condor
General OVO Energy 145 VIVIANI Elia Team Sky ITA
Points Wiggle 145 VIVIANI Elia Team Sky ITA
King of the Mountain SKODA 44 SCOTT Jacob An Post – Chain Reaction GBR
Sprints Eisberg 113 BRIGGS Graham Jlt Condor GBR
Best British Adnams 103 HANDLEY Richard Madison – Genesis GBR
Teams Quick Step Floors
Jerseys
General – Green OVO Energy 145 VIVIANI Elia Team Sky ITA
Points – Orange and Gray Wiggle 72 KRISTOFF Alexander Katusha – Alpecin NOR
Mountain – Black Skoda 44 SCOTT Jacob An Post – Chain Reaction GBR
Sprints – Red Eisberg 113 BRIGGS Graham Jlt Condor
Stage Top 30
1 81 *GAVIRIA Fernando 00″ QST COL B:10″
2 145 VIVIANI Elia ‘ ‘ SKY ITA B:06″
3 72 KRISTOFF Alexander ‘ ‘ KAT NOR B:04″
4 91 GROENEWEGEN Dylan ‘ ‘ TLJ NED
5 172 *BANASZEK Alan ‘ ‘ CCC POL
6 134 PASQUALON Andrea ‘ ‘ WGG ITA
7 65 *TANFIELD Harry ‘ ‘ BIK GBR
8 156 *WOUTERS Enzo ‘ ‘ LTS BEL
9 154 MAES Nikolas ‘ ‘ LTS BEL
10 75 *POLITT Nils ‘ ‘ KAT GER
11 126 BEVIN Patrick ‘ ‘ CDT NZL
12 111 JONES Brenton ‘ ‘ JLT AUS
13 85 RICHEZE Ariel Maximiliano ‘ ‘ QST ARG
14 26 GERTS Floris ‘ ‘ BMC NED
15 51 *EWAN Caleb ‘ ‘ ORS AUS
16 161 *ALBANESE Vincenzo ‘ ‘ BAR ITA
17 15 VON HOFF Steele ‘ ‘ ONE AUS
18 31 *LAWLESS Christopher ‘ ‘ GBR GBR
19 83 GILBERT Philippe ‘ ‘ QST BEL
20 4 RENSHAW Mark ‘ ‘ DDD AUS
21 21 KÜNG Stefan ‘ ‘ BMC SUI
22 123 *MULLEN Ryan ‘ ‘ CDT IRL
23 2 BOASSON HAGEN Edvald ‘ ‘ DDD NOR
24 105 MCEVOY Jonathan ‘ ‘ MGT GBR
25 136 GIBBONS Thomas ‘ ‘ WGG USA
26 121 VAN BAARLE Dylan ‘ ‘ CDT NED
27 86 STYBAR Zdenek ‘ ‘ QST CZE
28 71 MARTIN Tony ‘ ‘ KAT GER
29 163 BARBIN Enrico ‘ ‘ BAR ITA
30 155 SIEBERG Marcel ‘ ‘
General Classification Top 10 after Stage 4
1 145 VIVIANI Elia 00″ SKY ITA 17h38’05”
2 51 *EWAN Caleb ‘ ‘ ORS AUS ‘ ‘
3 81 *GAVIRIA Fernando 06″ QST COL 17h38’11”
4 2 BOASSON HAGEN Edvald 07″ DDD NOR 17h38’12”
5 72 KRISTOFF Alexander 12″ KAT NOR 17h38’17”
6 12 DOMAGALSKI Karol 14″ ONE POL 17h38’19”
7 23 DILLIER Silvan 15″ BMC SUI 17h38’20”
8 13 GRADEK Kamil ‘ ‘ ONE POL ‘ ‘
9 92 BOOM Lars 18″ TLJ NED 17h38’23”
10 103 HANDLEY Richard 19″
