Tour of Britain

OVO Energy Tour of Britain | 2017 – Stage 8

 

OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Finish Line Victory for Edvald Boasson Hagen
OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, 3rd Eisberg Sprint in Cardiff is on!

OVO Energy Tour of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff

Words by SweetSpot, Images by Chris Maher

Boasson Hagen wins in Cardiff as Boom seals OVO Energy Tour of Britain

Lars Boom resisted the elements and the attempts of his rivals to seal the overall victory at the OVO Energy Tour of Britain as wind and rain battered the peloton on its way through the Welsh Marches to the finish line in Cardiff.

OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Green Jersey safe in the Peloton on 1st circuit in Cardiff.
OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Lars Boom over British Camp KOM in 5th…

The Dutchman resisted the attempts of his rivals as the race exploded into life among thousands of spectators on the opening SKODA King of the Mountains climb at British Camp in the Malvern Hills and continued that way until the final metres of the Cardiff circuit, with Edvald Boasson Hagen soloing to the win.

OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Skoda KOM British Camp, Laurens De Plus, Gorka Izagirre

“It’s a great feeling,” said Boom, reflecting on his second overall win in the race following his 2011 success. “I didn’t expect today to be that hard but with the intermediate Sprints and then some really tough climbs in the beginning it was really hard.

“The first hour was quite critical, we lost two guys from the team in the second peloton, but luckily some other guys came back so we were still quite strong. If we had to do something we could do something but the first hour was almost killing me!”

OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Fans looking for local Geraint Thomas on Base Camp KOM

After a dry start in Worcester, riders almost immediately faced the rain as the peloton approached the foot of the Malvern Hills. An initial group of seven riders had struck out, but amid the throngs of spectators the field fell apart into four groups, with 14-riders at the front for the fast descent into Ledbury including general classification contenders Michal Kwiatkowski, Vasil Kiryienka, Stefan Küng, Boasson Hagen and Boom.

Boasson Hagen took the time bonuses at the first Eisberg Sprint in Ledbury, ahead of Kwiatkowski and Küng, moving them all one step closer to Boom’s OVO Energy Green Jersey.

OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Peloton split into two mid stage! Geraint Thomas mid front group of 53…

With the pace slackening there was a regrouping at the front, with the lead pack swelling to 53-riders, including home favourites Geraint Thomas and Owain Doull who had missed the initial selection. At that point Team Sky began to drive the front group clear, and with the presence of entire line-ups from Sky, Quick-Step and Katusha Alpecin, plus Boom and teammates Victor Campenaerts, Primoz Roglic and Jos Van Emden there was no way back for the second half of the race, chief losers among them being twelfth placed Alex Dowsett and the SKODA King of the Mountains leader Jacob Scott.

OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Eisberg Sprint 3 in Cardiff for Michael Kwiatkowski

At the Eisberg Sprint in Usk it was Boasson Hagen again picking up three bonus seconds, but Boom was alert snaffling second placed and two seconds, while Kwiatkowski again picked up a time bonus.

With the wind and rain becoming heavier, the 17% gradient of Belmont Hill on the outskirts of Newport was the next battleground, with Quick-Step using each climb as a chance to up the pressure and increase the temp, over the top Zdenek Stybar took the points ahead of Lukasz Owsian, who sealed the SKODA King of the Mountains jersey as result.

OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Lukasz Owsian, Skoda KOM Jersey

On the slick descent Movistar’s Gorka Izagirre went clear, being joined on the roads of Newport by Mark Stewart with the pair dodging the puddles to build a 30-second lead on the run to Cardiff. The pair held off the charging 51-rider group, led by Sky for the first tour and a half of the city centre, but with the final intermediate Eisberg Sprint approaching Boom, Boasson Hagen, Kwiatkowski and Küng went away in the sprint, with the Sky man taking the time bonuses, ahead of the attentive race leader.

OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Tao Geoghegen Hart reeling in the escapees…

With the four reeled in on the final circuit and the group watching each other, Boasson Hagen struck out inside the final three kilometres, holding off the remains of the field through the wet streets of Cardiff to just survive, as Maximiliano Richeze and Alexander Kristoff led the peloton along King Edward VIII Avenue in the sprint to ultimately fall short.

“It was really nice after all the work the guys in the team have done here this week. We had a plan for the day, which was if it came back to a bunch sprint I would attack in the last three kilometres, and I stayed with the plan and nobody managed to catch me, which was really great,” said Boasson Hagen speaking after his win. “If you don’t try, you don’t win anything!”

“It was a hard start in the beginning, Team Sky were riding hard on the front so the opened up a gap. I expected there to be a small group and someone to control it, but there was a big group and nobody came up from behind so it turned out well for me.”

The Norwegian finishes second overall, eight-seconds back from Boom, with Küng a further two in arrears and Geraint Thomas the top Brit overall in seventh, winning his weight in beer from Official Partners Adnams.

OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Mark Stewart, Stage Combativity Award

Thanks to his move on the run in to Cardiff Mark Stewart picked up the HIGH5 Combativity Award for Stage Eight, while Graham Briggs collected the same overall prize for the week.

Briggs does however miss out on the Eisberg Sprints Jersey by a solitary point, with Mark McNally adding that jersey to his 2014 mountain’s prize. This year’s SKODA King of the Mountains jersey goes to Lukasz Owsian of the CCC Sprandi Polkowice team.

OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Mark McNally, Eisberg Sprints Jersey

The last word on the 2017 OVO Energy Tour of Britain goes to Boom though; whose team also claimed the overall team classification, and for once during a week marked by wind and rain, the Dutchman wasn’t complaining about the conditions he faced.

“For sure I like racing in Britain, since 2011 I always have a good feeling here. The weather suits me, so that’s always nice.”

 

Stage Winner 2 BOASSON HAGEN Edvald Dimension Data NOR

Combativity HIGH5 46 STEWART Mark An Post – Chain Reaction

OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Podium Top 3
Jerseys

General – The First OVO Energy 92 BOOM Lars Team Lotto.Nl – Jumbo NED
General – The Second 2 BOASSON HAGEN Edvald Dimension Data NOR
General – The Third 21 KÜNG Stefan Bmc Racing Team SUI
Points Wiggle 72 KRISTOFF Alexander Katusha – Alpecin NOR
King of the Mountain SKODA 174 OWSIAN Lukasz Ccc Sprandi – Polkowice POL
Sprints Eisberg 133 MCNALLY Mark Wanty – Groupe Gobert GBR
Best British Adnams 141 THOMAS Geraint Team Sky GBR
Teams Team Lotto.Nl – JumboTLJ
Combativity HIGH5 113 BRIGGS Graham Jlt Condor

OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Stage Winner
Stage 8 Top Thirty

1 2 BOASSON HAGEN Edvald 00″ DDD NOR B:16″
2 85 RICHEZE Ariel Maximiliano ‘ ‘ QST ARG B:06″
3 72 KRISTOFF Alexander ‘ ‘ KAT NOR B:04″
4 55 MEZGEC Luka ‘ ‘ ORS SLO
5 111 JONES Brenton ‘ ‘ JLT AUS
6 134 PASQUALON Andrea ‘ ‘ WGG ITA
7 26 GERTS Floris ‘ ‘ BMC NED
8 81 *GAVIRIA Fernando ‘ ‘ QST COL
9 173 KOCH Jonas ‘ ‘ CCC GER
10 145 VIVIANI Elia ‘ ‘ SKY ITA
11 175 PATERSKI Maciej ‘ ‘ CCC POL
12 192 BENNATI Daniele ‘ ‘ MOV ITA
13 33 *HAYTER Ethan ‘ ‘ GBR GBR
14 92 BOOM Lars ‘ ‘ TLJ NED B:04″
15 95 VAN EMDEN Jos ‘ ‘ TLJ NED
16 142 DOULL Owain ‘ ‘ SKY GBR
17 21 KÜNG Stefan ‘ ‘ BMC SUI B:02″
18 141 THOMAS Geraint ‘ ‘ SKY GBR
19 12 DOMAGALSKI Karol ‘ ‘ ONE POL
20 135 SMITH Dion ‘ ‘ WGG NZL
21 93 CAMPENAERTS Victor ‘ ‘ TLJ BEL
22 144 KWIATKOWSKI Michal ‘ ‘ SKY POL B:06″
23 71 MARTIN Tony 06″ KAT GER
24 123 *MULLEN Ryan ‘ ‘ CDT IRL
25 194 ERVITI Imanol ‘ ‘ MOV ESP
26 75 *POLITT Nils ‘ ‘ KAT GER
27 23 DILLIER Silvan ‘ ‘ BMC SUI 28 154 MAES Nikolas ‘ ‘ LTS BEL
29 74 HOLLENSTEIN Reto ‘ ‘ KAT SUI
30 151 *SHAW James ‘ ‘

Overall Classification after stage 8

1 92 BOOM Lars 00″ TLJ NED 30h56’24”
2 2 BOASSON HAGEN Edvald 08″ DDD NOR 30h56’32”
3 21 KÜNG Stefan 10″ BMC SUI 30h56’34”
4 93 CAMPENAERTS Victor 13″ TLJ BEL 30h56’37”
5 144 KWIATKOWSKI Michal 18″ SKY POL 30h56’42”
6 95 VAN EMDEN Jos ‘ ‘ TLJ NED ‘ ‘
7 141 THOMAS Geraint 24″ SKY GBR 30h56’48”
8 71 MARTIN Tony 25″ KAT GER 30h56’49”
9 142 DOULL Owain 33″ SKY GBR 30h56’57”
10 123 *MULLEN Ryan 38″ CDT IRL 30h57’02”
11 24 ROSSKOPF Joseph 01’02” BMC USA 30h57’26”
12 193 CASTROVIEJO Jonathan ‘ ‘ MOV ESP ‘ ‘
13 75 *POLITT Nils 01’04” KAT GER 30h57’28”
14 23 DILLIER Silvan 01’05” BMC SUI 30h57’29”
15 72 KRISTOFF Alexander ‘ ‘ KAT NOR ‘ ‘
16 194 ERVITI Imanol 01’21” MOV ESP 30h57’45”
17 74 HOLLENSTEIN Reto 01’23” KAT SUI 30h57’47”
18 85 RICHEZE Ariel Maximiliano 01’27” QST ARG 30h57’51”
19 12 DOMAGALSKI Karol 01’30” ONE POL 30h57’54”
20 11 ORAM James ‘ ‘ ONE NZL ‘ ‘
21 175 PATERSKI Maciej 01’42” CCC POL 30h58’06”
22 192 BENNATI Daniele 01’44” MOV ITA 30h58’08”
23 83 GILBERT Philippe 01’52” QST BEL 30h58’16”
24 26 GERTS Floris 01’53” BMC NED 30h58’17”
25 81 *GAVIRIA Fernando 02’03” QST COL 30h58’27”
26 111 JONES Brenton 02’05” JLT AUS 30h58’29”
27 135 SMITH Dion ‘ ‘ WGG NZL ‘ ‘
28 55 MEZGEC Luka 02’20” ORS SLO 30h58’44”
29 151 *SHAW James 02’26” LTS GBR 30h58’50”
30 73 MACHADO Tiago 02’38”

OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Autobus Arrive after race finish…

OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff Alexandra Kristoff, Wiggle Points Jersey
OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Geraint Thomas, Adnams Best British Jersey
OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Alex Dowsett on Base Camp Skoda KOM
OVO Energy Tour Of Britain 2017 | Stage 8 Worcester to Cardiff, Gerain Thomas leads the peloton, bell lap

 

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