OVO Energy Tour of Britain 2017 | Stage 1 Edinburgh to Kelso
Caleb Ewan wins opening stage of OVO Energy Tour of Britain
Words by SweetSpot, Images by Chris Maher, 03 Sept 2017
Caleb Ewan started the 2017 OVO Energy Tour of Britain off where he ended the previous edition, standing atop the podium as a stage winner, having taken the victory at the end of the 190-kilometre opening leg between Edinburgh and Kelso in the Scottish Borders.
The 23-year-old Australian rounded out the 2016 edition with the stage win in London, and starts this year’s edition with victory on day one in Kelso’s Market Square, and with it the first OVO Energy Green Jersey of the race, plus the Wiggle Points Jersey.
Ewan outsprinted Edvald Boasson Hagen, Elia Viviani and Alexander Kristoff in a blanket finish across the first four riders.
“When I crossed the line I was pretty confident that I got it”, said Ewan speaking afterwards. “I know it was pretty close, but I thought I had got it. Then I saw all the cameras go around Eddy and I thought hang on a minute. When it is that close you just don’t know, and I saw Viviani as well round the outside. I was definitely happy to learn that I had won.
“It was a pretty tricky finish, because of that tight corner, and obviously the cobblestones at the finish. We definitely wanted to be in front when the cobbles started. Luka had to get me out in front with about 200m to go. Because of the six men teams, you can’t go too early, because you will just run out of guys.
“The boys did very well, I can’t complain about the lead out. I just had to sit there and get taken through the tricky parts.”
The stage win and time bonus gives Ewan a three-second lead over Boasson Hagen – who picked up one-second at the day’s final intermediate Eisberg Sprint in Melrose – with ONE Pro Cycling’s Karol Domagalski a further second behind.
The Pole had been part of an eight-rider break – surviving a brush with the Madison Genesis team car – before striking out with compatriot Lukasz Oswain as the break were reeled in. The pair were caught at the foot of the final SKODA King of the Mountains climb of the Eildon Hills, but Domagalski had done enough to claim the Eisberg Sprints Jersey, with Oswain taking the SKODA King of the Mountains jersey after Stage One.
Stage Two of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain takes place in Northumberland, resuming from Kielder Water and Forest Park at 10:15, with live coverage on ITV4 from 10am. The stage finishes in Blyth on the Northumberland coast, where Fernando Gaviria won in 2015.
Highlights from the opening Scottish stage of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain will be on ITV4 at 10pm on Sunday evening (3 September) with a repeat the following morning.
Results
Stage Winner 51 EWAN Caleb Orica – Scott AUS
Combativity HIGH5 12 DOMAGALSKI Karol One Pro Cycling
General OVO Energy 51 EWAN Caleb Orica – Scott AUS
Points Wiggle 51 EWAN Caleb Orica – Scott AUS
King of the Mountain SKODA 174 OWSIAN Lukasz Ccc Sprandi – Polkowice POL
Sprints Eisberg 12 DOMAGALSKI Karol One Pro Cycling POL
Best British Adnams 31 LAWLESS Christopher Great Britain – GBR GBR
Teams Katusha – Alpecin
Jerseys
General – Green OVO Energy 51 EWAN Caleb Orica – Scott AUS Points –
Orange and Gray Wiggle 2 BOASSON HAGEN Edvald Dimension Data NOR
Mountain – Black Skoda 174 OWSIAN Lukasz Ccc Sprandi – Polkowice POL
Sprints – Red Eisberg 12 DOMAGALSKI Karol One Pro Cycling
Stage 1 Top 30
1 51 *EWAN Caleb 00″ ORS AUS B:10″
2 2 BOASSON HAGEN Edvald ‘ ‘ DDD NOR B:07″
3 145 VIVIANI Elia ‘ ‘ SKY ITA B:04″
4 72 KRISTOFF Alexander ‘ ‘ KAT NOR
5 81 *GAVIRIA Fernando ‘ ‘ QST COL
6 31 *LAWLESS Christopher ‘ ‘ GBR GBR
7 111 JONES Brenton ‘ ‘ JLT AUS
8 154 MAES Nikolas ‘ ‘ LTS BEL
9 86 STYBAR Zdenek ‘ ‘ QST CZE
10 26 GERTS Floris ‘ ‘ BMC NED
11 126 BEVIN Patrick ‘ ‘ CDT NZL
12 134 PASQUALON Andrea ‘ ‘ WGG ITA
13 76 *SCHMIDT Mads Würtz ‘ ‘ KAT DEN
14 155 SIEBERG Marcel ‘ ‘ LTS GER
15 55 MEZGEC Luka ‘ ‘ ORS SLO
16 175 PATERSKI Maciej ‘ ‘ CCC POL
17 36 *WOOD Oliver ‘ ‘ GBR GBR
18 46 *STEWART Mark ‘ ‘ SKT GBR
19 163 BARBIN Enrico ‘ ‘ BAR ITA
20 14 *MCCORMICK Hayden ‘ ‘ ONE NZL
21 151 *SHAW James ‘ ‘ LTS GBR
22 71 MARTIN Tony ‘ ‘ KAT GER
23 135 SMITH Dion ‘ ‘ WGG NZL
24 114 DOWNING Russell ‘ ‘ JLT GBR
25 173 KOCH Jonas ‘ ‘ CCC GER
26 41 *TEGGART Matthew ‘ ‘ SKT IRL
27 121 VAN BAARLE Dylan ‘ ‘ CDT NED
28 21 KÜNG Stefan ‘ ‘ BMC SUI
29 5 THWAITES Scott ‘ ‘ DDD GBR
30 123 *MULLEN Ryan ‘ ‘
General Classification after Stage 1
1 51 *EWAN Caleb 00″ ORS AUS 4h34’07”
2 2 BOASSON HAGEN Edvald 03″ DDD NOR 4h34’10”
3 12 DOMAGALSKI Karol 04″ ONE POL 4h34’11”
4 145 VIVIANI Elia 06″ SKY ITA 4h34’13”
5 72 KRISTOFF Alexander 10″ KAT NOR 4h34’17”
6 81 *GAVIRIA Fernando ‘ ‘ QST COL ‘ ‘
7 31 *LAWLESS Christopher ‘ ‘ GBR GBR ‘ ‘
8 111 JONES Brenton ‘ ‘ JLT AUS ‘ ‘
9 154 MAES Nikolas ‘ ‘ LTS BEL ‘ ‘
10 86 STYBAR Zdenek ‘ ‘
