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<\/a>The 24-year-old Dutchman sealed his victory in style, sprinting to win the eighth and final stage of this year\u2019s race after a frantic day of racing around all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs.<\/p>\n
Van der Poel outsprinted compatriot Cees Bol (Team Sunweb) by a tyre width on Deansgate in Manchester city centre, with overall runner-up and Cetaphil Points classification winner Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-SCOTT) placing third across the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t an easy day today, a lot of teams tried to attack us,\u201d said van der Poel. \u201cComing into Tour of Britain I didn\u2019t really think it was possible because of the time trial which I hadn\u2019t done in a really long time. But after the time trial I started to believe I could win the GC, but today was harder than I thought it would be and I\u2019m really happy with the feeling also today and it\u2019s been a good week for us.<\/p>\n Van der Poel went on to praise the work of his Corendon Circus teammates, saying, \u201cThey\u2019ve really over done it I think, really, I\u2019m proud of them. We are not the biggest team here, but they gave everything they had, also after the steep climb we were still three riders in the first group, and they did an amazing job after yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n While Corendon Circus and the Jumbo Visma team of triple stage winner Dylan Groenewegen initially did well to control the breakaway of Matt Holmes (Madison Genesis), Gabriel Cullaigh (Team WIGGINS Le Col) and Emil Vinjebo (Riwal Readynez), but the race erupted into life on the infamous climb of the Rake above Ramsbottom.<\/p>\n Pavel Sivakov sparked proceedings into life on the slopes of the Rake, with his Team INEOS teammates taking up the mantle with a flurry of attacks across the moors north of Manchester. Movistar\u2019s Andrey Amador was the main beneficiary, building a 49 second lead at one point before being reeled back in by the pace of the reduced front group.<\/p>\n With 25 kilometres remaining INEOS\u2019 Michal Golas was joined off the front by Larry Warbasse (AG2R La Mondiale) and Mark Christian (Team WIGGINS Le Col) but their lead only lasted until the 10 kilometre mark as the Tour raced through Salford, setting up a thrilling finish on Deansgate.<\/p>\n It was Team Sunweb\u2019s Cees Bol that picked up the sprint coming out of the final left hand turn onto the long finishing straight, with van der Poel coming around him to just hold off the fast finishing Trentin.<\/p>\n Trentin\u2019s finishing record of top ten finishes on every stage barring the individual time trial gave him a comfortable victory in the Cetaphil Points jersey from van der Poel, while former race winner Dylan van Baarle (Team INEOS) was voted the overall Wahooligan Combativity award winner in a public poll on the event\u2019s social media channels.<\/p>\n British domestic teams took home both the SKODA King of the Mountains and Eisberg Sprints jerseys, as Jacob Scott (Swift Carbon Pro Cycling) confirmed his victory in the former, two years on from having agonisingly lost the same jersey on the final day of racing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just something I didn\u2019t do two years ago I guess,\u201d said Scott. \u201cI lost by one point then and won by probably I don\u2019t know how many now. It\u2019s a change. I wouldn\u2019t say it was a specific target coming in, I wanted to try to something in a stage which I wanted to do today but I\u2019m quite happy to win it obviously.\u201d<\/p>\n Winning the Eisberg Sprints jersey was Rory Townsend, ensuring that his Canyon dhb p\/b Bloor Homes team took the red jersey for a second year.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had Alex [Paton] who won it last year and it\u2019s just kind of picking up from where he left off, was part of the plan, it\u2019s something we wanted to do in the race,\u201d said Townsend, before explaining his reaction to taking the jersey he\u2019d initially claimed after Stage one in Scotland.<\/p>\n \u201cJust pure relief. It was really nice. I was very happy with how the stage started today, three guys up the road who weren\u2019t in contention. Then of course that last sprint was a little bit up in the air.\u201d<\/p>\n Townsend\u2019s win the jersey also rounded out a successful week, having been called up to the Irish squad for the road World Championships in Yorkshire at the end of the month. Come the World\u2019s Townsend will be racing in green, but in Manchester on Saturday there was only one green jersey that people were speaking about, that of stage winner and 2019 OVO Energy Tour of Britain champion Mathieu van der Poel.<\/p>\n 1 81 VAN DER POEL Mathieu 00″ COC NED B:10″ Stage Winner 81 VAN DER POEL Mathieu CORENDON – CIRCUS OVO Energy Green Jersey 81 VAN DER POEL Mathieu CORENDON – CIRCUS 1 81 00″ COC NED 29h47’41″VAN DER POEL Mathieu FRIDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 2019<\/p>\n Mathieu van der Poel edges closer to OVO Energy Tour of Britain title with Warwickshire stage win<\/p>\n Mathieu van der Poel moved closer to being crowned the 2019 OVO Energy Tour of Britain champion on Friday as he beat nearest challenger Matteo Trentin to win stage seven atop Burton Dassett, Warwickshire.<\/p>\n The Dutch rider got the better of Trentin (Mitchelton-SCOTT) in a thrilling sprint up the short but steep climb to extend his overall advantage to 12 seconds with just Saturday\u2019s Greater Manchester finale to come.<\/p>\n Victory atop Burton Dassett \u2013 tackled three times in the closing 28 kilometres of Friday\u2019s stage \u2013 was van der Poel\u2019s second of the week on British roads following Tuesday\u2019s win in Kendal.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m feeling pretty good. I\u2019m feeling better day by day,\u201d said van der Poel following the stage. \u201cYesterday I was saying I surprised myself in the TT because that\u2019s something I didn\u2019t do for a long time and I think it\u2019s an indication of the shape, if you can ride that fast for 14km on your own.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew that finishes like this, they suit me very well. The first 70-80km\u2019s was pretty hard actually, there were a lot of attacks and my team handled it perfectly and they did an amazing job. The second to last time we went up the climb I knew it was up to me to be at the front and follow the groups of favourites and then I was alone in the big group, so I had to gamble a little bit again. Coming into the last ascent to the finish line I knew I had a pretty good chance to take the win again today.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was really cool to get up the climb and put in a final effort before all the crowds. I like to race here. Again the sun was out so I\u2019m happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Beyond nearest rival Trentin, Jasper De Buyst (Lotto Soudal) sits 40 seconds in arrears, having slipped ahead of Team INEOS rider Pavel Sivakov thanks to time bonuses collected at an intermediate Eisberg Sprint during the Warwickshire.<\/p>\n \u201cI have to believe\u201d said van der Poel. \u201cI think I did a really good job today, also with the first bonus sprint I didn\u2019t lose any seconds. It\u2019s going to be a hard day again tomorrow and it\u2019s won\u2019t be over until I cross the finish line but I\u2019m confident we\u2019re going to make it.\u201d<\/p>\n Trentin retains the Cetaphil Points jersey with an 11 point advantage before Manchester, but recognises the challenge he faces in displacing van der Poel from the race lead.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you race with the best and you want to compete with them you need to raise your level, especially on this kind of finish line,\u201d said Trentin. \u201cAt the moment he is the best in the world, I don\u2019t see anyone who can get close to him at the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a good day out. Really fast race. I was with Mathieu until the last corner and then he just kicked off again and I had no response. But I have to say, compared to the last finish line he won, I stepped up a little bit. I was at least on his wheel!\u201d<\/p>\n Trentin\u2019s Mitchelton-SCOTT teammate Cameron Meyer had been in the thick of the action in a stage which started off by covering almost 50 kilometres in the first hour of racing, but it was his breakaway companion Dylan van Baarle (Team INEOS) who had collected the majority of the SKODA King of the Mountains and Eisberg Sprint points in Warwickshire.<\/p>\n Jacob Scott (Swift Carbon Pro Cycling) keeps the SKODA King of the Mountains jersey and just needs to finish the final stage to claim the jersey, which he previously went close to winning in the 2017 Tour.<\/p>\n Van Baarle\u2019s breakaway did move him into second place in the Eisberg Sprints classification, just three points behind Rory Townsend (Canyon dhb p\/b Bloor Homes) with nine points available on the roads of Greater Manchester.<\/p>\n One rider enjoying the clear blue skies and sunshine of Warwickshire was Coventry rider Jake Stewart (Great Britain), saying afterwards, \u201cIt was really nice, I knew where I was for most of the day, but it was just full gas for the first hour and a half until a break went, and it wasn\u2019t pleasant.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s been plenty of support along the route, a lot of friends and family out so it gives you a bit of extra motivation but if the legs aren\u2019t there it\u2019s useless isn\u2019t it!\u201d<\/p>\n THURSDAY 12 SEPTEMBER 2019<\/p>\n Mathieu van der Poel retakes OVO Energy Tour of Britain lead<\/p>\n Mathieu van der Poel retook the lead in the 2019 OVO Energy Tour of Britain after placing sixth in Thursday\u2019s Pershore individual time trial, a stage that saw Italian rider Edoardo Affini claim the biggest victory of his fledgling professional career to date.<\/p>\n Corendon \u2013 Circus rider van der Poel \u2013 who won in Kendal on Tuesday \u2013 placed sixth on the stage in Worcestershire to retake the OVO Energy green jersey from Affini\u2019s Mitchelton-SCOTT team-mate Matteo Trentin.<\/p>\n Affini posted a time of 16\u201939\u201d for the 14.4-kilometre course, beating nearest challenger Sebastian Langeveld (EF Education First) by seven seconds, with former race winner Dylan van Baarle (Team INEOS) on the same time.<\/p>\n \u201cI kind of surprised myself,\u201d said van der Poel. \u201cThe last real time trial I did was when I was a junior, that\u2019s a long time ago. I\u2019m really satisfied with the performance and I liked it out there today.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a hard race for sure the next few days. Matteo [Trentin] is my closest opponent and he already showed that he\u2019s fast in the end as well. With the bonus seconds, it\u2019s going to be really tight battle until the last day.<\/p>\n \u201cThe riders from INEOS are also not that far behind and they have a really strong team here. They\u2019ve already showed that. I think there a lot of riders who can still win the race.\u201d<\/p>\n Van der Poel now leads by six seconds from Trentin, who retains the Cetaphil Points jersey, with Pavel Sivakov (Team INEOS) at 24 seconds, and Jasper De Buyst (Lotto Soudal) and Nils Politt (Team KATUSHA ALPECIN) a further two and three seconds in arrears respectively.<\/p>\n Speaking afterwards, stage winner Edoardo Affini commented on his biggest win, \u201cIt\u2019s amazing, it\u2019s my second victory this year and first year as a professional. For sure I\u2019m really happy because the field here was really good field of riders for the TT and it gave me some confidence.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery rider was looking way faster than me at the time split so every time I was like \u2018Maybe it\u2019s not going to happen\u2019 but in the end it looked like I was really able to make the difference on the way back home and I think it worked well with pacing myself so really, really happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben Swift (Team INEOS) is the top British rider overall, in 13th position, 49 seconds in arrears.<\/p>\n The three classification jerseys remained unchanged, with Trentin in the Cetaphil Points jersey and Rory Townsend (Canyon dhb p\/b Bloor Homes) retaining the Eisberg Sprints jersey by four points from Dries de Bondt (Corendon Circus) with two days remaining.<\/p>\n Jake Scott (Swift Carbon Pro Cycling) enjoys a 21 point lead in the SKODA King of the Mountains classification from de Bondt, and could wrap up the climbers\u2019 jersey during the Warwickshire stage.<\/p>\n WEDNESDAY 11 SEPTEMBER 2019<\/p>\n Matteo Trentin retakes OVO Energy Tour of Britain lead after Wirral stage<\/p>\n Dylan Groenewegen made it three wins in five days at the 2019 OVO Energy Tour of Britain as he sprinted to win the race\u2019s first-ever Wirral stage in Birkenhead Park on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The Team Jumbo \u2013 Visma rider added the stage five victory to Saturday\u2019s success in Kirkcudbright and his triumph on Newcastle\u2019s Grey Street on Monday in dominant style.<\/p>\n Great Britain\u2019s Matt Walls notably placed second, with Matteo Trentin\u2019s third-place finish and subsequent time bonus putting the Mitchelton-SCOTT rider back into the OVO Energy green jersey of race leader leading into Thursday\u2019s time trial in Pershore.<\/p>\n “I like this race, it\u2019s a perfect race. I like to race here. It’s another hat-trick [in a race] for me so I\u2019m really proud of that but I\u2019m really motivated to get another win,\u201d said Dylan Groenewegen.<\/p>\n “There was a small climb at the end of today’s stage – it was not a hard climb but the team did a very good job there. We stayed in a good position with one kilometre to go and then we went full gas. The lead-out was perfect. I\u2019m very happy that I was able to take the win. The team worked very hard today and I\u2019m really proud of them.”<\/p>\n Trentin now leads by three seconds from Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon Circus), with a handful of riders also within striking distance ahead of the time trial. One rider who will no longer be a threat to the overall was former winner Steve Cummings (Team Dimension Data), who crashed out of the top 20 and the race on his home roads on the Wirral.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was finally a kind of easy day even if it\u2019s not as easy as it looks on television,\u201d said Trentin, \u201cBut I think it just gives the guys a little bit of a relax today and try to focus on your sprint and it came out pretty good, I knew that I had to come from the back, to be honest I was a little bit too much but Groenewegen here just demonstrated once again that he\u2019s one step above all the rest and I thought I had a good race and take bonus seconds to be back in the general classification lead.\u201d<\/p>\n The Italian also leads the Cetaphil Points jersey classification by nine points from Davide Cimolai (Israel Cycling Academy).<\/p>\n Thanks to his presence in the day\u2019s breakaway Jacob Scott (Swift Carbon Pro Cycling) moved to a 21 point lead over Dries de Bondt (Corendon Circus) in the SKODA King of the Mountains and also won the public vote for the Wahooligan Combativity award.<\/p>\n Rory Townsend (Canyon dhb p\/b Bloor Homes) kept the Eisberg Sprints jersey, despite a fall in the closing stages, with a four point lead over his nearest rival.<\/p>\n TUESDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2019<\/p>\n Mathieu van der Poel wins in Kendal to take OVO Energy Tour of Britain lead<\/p>\n Mathieu van der Poel moved into the OVO Energy Tour of Britain lead on Wednesday after winning stage four from Gateshead atop Kendal\u2019s famed Beast Banks climb.<\/p>\n The 24-year-old Dutchman attacked from a reduced peloton 200m up the gruelling Cumbrian finishing climb, crossing the line three seconds ahead of his nearest challengers Jasper de Buyst (Lotto Soudal) and Simon Clarke (EF Education First).<\/p>\n While overnight race leader Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-SCOTT) placed ninth on the stage, van der Poel\u2019s 10-second time bonus for his stage victory moved the Corendon \u2013 Circus Cycling Team rider into the OVO Energy green jersey at the race\u2019s halfway point.<\/p>\n Trentin retains his lead in the Cetaphil points jersey, however, while Jake Scott (SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling) and Rory Townsend (Canyon dhb p\/b Bloor Homes) kept hold of the SKODA King of the Mountains and Eisberg Sprints jerseys respectively.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew that the finish suited me really well if I had good legs,\u201d said van der Poel afterwards. \u201cI was confident to do a good finish here I think the team did a great job. This climb is perfect for me. I really like those finish straights and it\u2019s something I\u2019m good at especially after a hard stage like today.<\/p>\n \u201cAttacking early was a bit of a gamble because I didn\u2019t really know where the finish line was. I got a bit bumped in yesterday at the finish and I didn\u2019t want it to happen again today, so I just went full gas with 300 metres to go.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was actually a bit far but I immediately had a gap. With 100 metres to go the road got a bit easier so it was big enough to keep that gap until the finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n Van der Poel sits one second ahead of Trentin on the general classification, with de Buyst a further six seconds in arrears, while a further 12 riders sit within 20 seconds of the race lead. The Corendon Circus rider believes that Worcestershire\u2019s time trial stage on Thursday will be key to the overall victory.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a battle for sure but I think the time trial [on stage six] will be decisive and it\u2019s been a long, long time since I\u2019ve done one. I don\u2019t know where I stand in that discipline right now so it\u2019s going to be really hard to be in touch with the best time trial guys here.\u201d<\/p>\n An exciting stage that had begun from the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead was lit up early on by aggressive riding by Team INEOS duo Eddie Dunbar and Dylan van Baarle, with the latter clinching the Wahooligan Combativity Award for his ride.<\/p>\n However it was a different three man breakaway that had really enlivened proceedings, going clear on the final SKODA King of the Mountains climb at Gawthrop above Dentdale after a diminished peloton had come back together.<\/p>\n The attack of Lotto Soudal rider Tiesj Benoot triggered the move, but it was home rider James Shaw (Swift Carbon Pro Cycling) who went away along with Ben Hermans (Israel Cycling Academy) and Tony Gallopin (AG2R La Mondiale) building a small lead that never looked enough.<\/p>\n That ultimately proved to be so at the foot of Beast Banks climb, as the moment that many cycling fans watching were waiting for as van der Poel unleashed his sprint in dominant fashion.<\/p>\n MONDAY 9 SEPTEMBER 2019<\/p>\n Dylan Groenewegen wins North of Tyne OVO Energy Tour of Britain stage<\/p>\n Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen made light work of an uphill finish to sprint to his second stage victory on this year\u2019s OVO Energy Tour of Britain in three days in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on Monday.<\/p>\n The Team Jumbo \u2013 Visma Cycling rider crossed the line comfortably ahead of pre-stage favourite Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon \u2013 Circus), Davide Cimolai (Israel Cycling Academy) and team-mate Mike Teunissen following the 500-metre uphill drag at the end of the stage from Berwick-upon-Tweed.<\/p>\n Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-SCOTT) placed fifth to retain the OVO Energy green jersey and Cetaphil Points jersey going into Tuesday\u2019s fourth stage.<\/p>\n \u201cThe finish was a little steeper than I was thinking but it was OK in the end \u2013 I took the win. Thanks to my team, it was a really good day for us,\u201d said Groenewegen. \u201cNormally this type of finish is not so good for me but today I can get the win, so that\u2019s really good.\u201d<\/p>\n Cimolai\u2019s top three position marginally reduced Trentin\u2019s overnight lead to seven seconds, with van der Poel and Jasper De Buyst (Lotto Soudal) a further four seconds in arrears.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was actually harder than I expected\u201d, said the OVO Energy Green jersey Trentin afterwards. \u201cThe railway gate mixed up the plan a little bit, the breakaway got time to recover a little more than we hoped for and of course the riders out there were really strong. We needed a good effort to get them back.<\/p>\n \u201cTomorrow\u2019s going to be the first real GC day, then of course the time trial is going to be the second one. In the Tour of Britain there is always space for some attacks and for things that can happen every day.\u201d<\/p>\n The race being held briefly at a level crossing had threatened to give a six rider breakway, containing Harry Tanfield (Team KATUSHA ALPECIN), Rory Townsend (Canyon dhb p\/b Bloor Homes), Jacob Scott (Swift Carbon Pro Cycling), Rob Scott (Team WIGGINS Le Col) and Belgian due Dries de Bondt (Corendon Circus) and Christophe Noppe (Sport Vlaanderen Baloise) their head. When racing resumed Mitchelton-SCOTT and Team Jumbo – Visma worked to bring them back, finally succeeding as the race hit the Newcastle Quayside with one kilometre remaining.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was really close,\u201d continued Groenewegen. \u201cWe knew the time difference but in the last 10km it was going really quickly down so that was enough for us.\u201d<\/p>\n While there was disappointment to not see one of the four domestic riders taking the victory in front of Newcastle city centre\u2019s big crowds, fans did help vote Tanfield the winner of the day\u2019s Wahooligan Combativity award, in what is the most local stage for the North Yorkshireman.<\/p>\n In the Eisberg Sprints competition Rory Townsend reclaimed the red jersey, while built what is a commanding lead in the SKODA King of the Mountains competition, now 13 points clear of nearest challenger De Bondt.<\/p>\n SUNDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2019<\/p>\n Matteo Trentin wins Stage Two in the Scottish Borders<\/p>\n Former European champion Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-SCOTT) moved into the race lead of the OVO Energy Tour of Britain after sprinting to a dramatic victory in Kelso, Scottish Borders, on Sunday.<\/p>\n Trentin pipped Jasper de Buyst (Lotto Soudal), Mike Teunissen (Team Jumbo \u2013 Visma Cycling) and Davide Cimolai (Israel Cycling Academy) to the line after a reduced peloton caught brave solo attacker Alex Dowsett (Team KATUSHA ALPECIN) on the final cobbled 50 metres.<\/p>\n Trentin, who placed third in Saturday\u2019s opening stage in Kirkcudbright, gained crucial time bonuses on the line as a result of his win. This, combined with the distancing of overnight leader Dylan Groenewegen (Team Jumbo \u2013 Visma Cycling) on the final SKODA King of the Mountains climb of Dingleton, put the Italian rider into the overall lead of the race.<\/p>\n \u201cWe planned this morning to let Jumbo work through the day and then try to make it as hard as possible on the final climb, we knew that Groenewegan is likely to be dropped if we do everything right,\u201d said Trentin on the win.<\/p>\n \u201cIt happened, I still had three guys with me and two of them Durbridge and Cameron Meyer started to pull straight away from the top of the climb and Cam was still really good to bring me and Edmonson into the last corner.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting van der Poel to attack to be honest because I saw him as one of the main favourites for today, but I don\u2019t know what he wanted to do, we actually also tried to contest the intermediate sprint just before the climb to get some seconds for the GC because in this race that\u2019s something I can do but I need to have seconds over the time trialists because otherwise they\u2019re going to smash me in the time trial [Stage Six]. That\u2019s all, so far today was the perfect day for us.\u201d<\/p>\n After a three-rider breakaway had toiled in the warm Scottish Borders sunshine for much of the day, the race burst into action on the Scott\u2019s View SKODA King of the Mountains climb, with Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon Circus) and Frederik Frison (Lotto Soudal) attacking and bridging to the three leaders.<\/p>\n That spurred an intensified chase and catch on the run to Melrose, with Trentin grabbing three bonus seconds at the intermediate Eisberg Sprint in Melrose at the foot of the final climb at Dingleton.<\/p>\n Over the climb Pavel Sivakov (Team INEOS) went clear but was reeled in by the chasing of Mitchelton – SCOTT on the front of the bunch, which split the field in half, with overnight leader Groenewegen in the rear part of the peloton.<\/p>\n Attacking with three kilometres to go, Dowsett looked like he was going to upset the remaining sprinters, but despite being welcomed into Kelso\u2019s main street by a wall of noise the British time trial champion was caught with 50 metres remaining, holding on to finish seventh on the stage.<\/p>\n Speaking after the finish Dowsett said, \u201cI was looking for an opportunity at about 15k to go but the pace was a bit too high and nothing really presented itself. Then at 3km to go, Mitchelton and Israel couldn\u2019t really decide who was going to do the pulling and there was some hesitations. I saw Cummings went and if he\u2019s going then you know it\u2019s a sign that it\u2019s a good opportunity to go and I jump onto him. I just went straight over the top.<\/p>\n \u201cI glanced once or twice and didn\u2019t see anyone. Then I went over the bridge and caught a glimpse of them. It was pretty heartbreaking them coming around me with 50-100metres to go\u201d.<\/p>\n Trentin now leads by 11 seconds overall from Cimolai and De Buyst, while also taking the Cetaphil Points jersey lead. The Eisberg Sprints jersey moves over to Gediminas Bagdonas (AG2R La Mondiale), while Jacob Scott (Swift Carbon Pro Cycling) retains the SKODA King of the Mountains jersey. His Swift Carbon team-mate Peter Williams won the public vote for Wahooligan Combativity award for his efforts in the day\u2019s breakaway.<\/p>\n SATURDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2019<\/p>\n Dylan Groenewegen wins opening stage of OVO Energy Tour of Britain<\/p>\n Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen returned to the OVO Energy Tour of Britain in style on Saturday, winning the opening stage of the 2019 race between Glasgow and Kirkcudbright in Scotland.<\/p>\n Groenewegen, a two-time stage winner in the event, beat Davide Cimolai (Israel Cycling Academy) and former European champion Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-SCOTT) to the line in the Dumfries & Galloway market town after a textbook lead-out from his Jumbo \u2013 Visma Cycling team-mates.<\/p>\n He takes the OVO Energy green jersey of race leader going into Sunday\u2019s second stage in the Scottish Borders.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was perfect,\u201d said Groenewegen afterwards. \u201cWe had no help today so we did it all as a team, we rode very strongly to catch the breakaway make it a sprint. I could take my own line; it was a very good lead out. I was on the wheel of Trentin, and sprinted full gas.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll look at the road book this evening and hope to win another stage. I think tomorrow\u2019s a new chance and I will try again.\u201d<\/p>\n Team Jumbo Visma had worked tirelessly on the front of the peloton throughout the stage south from Glasgow city centre, with little assistance from other teams. Their work kept the day\u2019s breakaway pinned with never more than a two minute advantage, as Rory Townsend (Canyon dhb p\/b Bloor Homes), James Fouche (Team WIGGINS Le Col), Jacob Scott (Swift Carbon Pro Cycling) and Dries de Bondt (Corendon Circus) toiled in the warm Scottish sunshine on the race\u2019s longest day.<\/p>\n Consolation for Townsend was the Eisberg Sprints jersey, Wahooligan Combativity Award and a position second in the general classification thanks to time bonuses, three seconds behind Groenewegen.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was an absolutely epic stage,\u201d said Townsend following the finish in Kirkcudbright. \u201cThe stage itself it started really hard, it seemed like a lot more people were interested in trying to get away this year, I think maybe just the nature of the course means that people don\u2019t necessarily know what they\u2019re going to get out of the race so maybe there\u2019s a little bit more interest in the breakaway so yeah it took a while to go and then once it was the right formation of riders we were away but it seemed like quite a nervous day, we never got more than a minute forty and for 200 kilometres you\u2019re always sort of looking over your shoulder which is not always too much fun but all in all we\u2019re really happy with the day.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Wahooligan combativity is a nice extra bonus, that for me is the icing on the cake because to be voted by the people watching at home is so flattering, really, really nice.\u201d<\/p>\n Jacob Scott led the race over all three SKODA King of the Mountains climbs to take the best climbers jersey, already with a five point advantage on fellow escapee James Fouche.<\/p>\n OVO Energy Tour of Britain 2019 Roundup Press Releases Mathieu van der Poel crowned OVO Energy Tour of Britain champion Mathieu van der Poel reiterated his billing as the hottest talent in professional cycling on Saturday as he was crowned the 2019 OVO Energy Tour of Britain champion in Manchester. The 24-year-old Dutchman sealed his…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8181,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,567],"tags":[1112,70,726,576,707,882,160,1121,957,812,1286,1115,1287,927,474],"class_list":["post-8142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-british-cycling-road","category-tour-of-britain","tag-ovotob","tag-alex-dowsett","tag-dylan-groenewegen","tag-dylan-van-baarle","tag-eddie-dunbar","tag-gabriel-cullaigh","tag-harry-tanfield","tag-jacob-scott","tag-matt-holmes","tag-matteo-trentin","tag-matthieu-van-der-poel","tag-ovo-energy-tour-of-britain","tag-pavel-sivakov","tag-rory-townsend","tag-sweetspot"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chrismaher.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chrismaher.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chrismaher.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chrismaher.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chrismaher.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8142"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.chrismaher.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8142\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8185,"href":"https:\/\/www.chrismaher.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8142\/revisions\/8185"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chrismaher.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.chrismaher.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chrismaher.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.chrismaher.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Stage 8 Results top 50 Altrincham to Manchester 166kms<\/pre>\n
\n2 161 BOL Cees ‘ ‘ SUN NED B:06″
\n3 41 TRENTIN Matteo ‘ ‘ MTS ITA B:05″
\n4 15 TEUNISSEN Mike ‘ ‘ TJV NED
\n5 112 CIMOLAI Davide ‘ ‘ ICA ITA
\n6 102 MODOLO Sacha ‘ ‘ EF1 ITA
\n7 166 EEKHOFF Nils ‘ ‘ SUN NED
\n8 132 DE BUYST Jasper ‘ ‘ LTS BEL
\n9 51 MEURISSE Xandro ‘ ‘ WGG BEL
\n10 63 WYSS Danilo ‘ ‘ TDD SUI
\n11 91 SWIFT Connor ‘ ‘ GBR GBR
\n12 32 POLITT Nils ‘ ‘ TKA GER
\n13 23 BARBERO CUESTA Carlos ‘ ‘ MOV ESP
\n14 94 STEWART Jake ‘ ‘ GBR GBR
\n15 131 BENOOT Tiesj ‘ ‘ LTS BEL
\n16 1 SWIFT Ben ‘ ‘ INS GBR
\n17 101 CLARKE Simon ‘ ‘ EF1 AUS
\n18 6 SIVAKOV Pavel ‘ ‘ INS RUS
\n19 4 MOSCON Gianni ‘ ‘ INS ITA
\n20 22 AMADOR Andrey ‘ ‘ MOV CRC B:03″
\n21 82 DE BONDT Dries ‘ ‘ COC BEL B:02″
\n22 143 SPRENGERS Thomas ‘ ‘ SVB BEL
\n23 164 HAMILTON Christopher ‘ ‘ SUN AUS
\n24 104 KANGERT Tanel ‘ ‘ EF1 EST
\n25 76 WARBASSE Lawrence ‘ ‘ ALM USA
\n26 192 CHRISTIAN Mark ‘ ‘ WGN GBR
\n27 14 JANSEN Amund Grondal ‘ ‘ TJV NOR
\n28 45 EDMONDSON Alexander ‘ ‘ MTS AUS
\n29 151 HOLMES Matthew ‘ ‘ MGT GBR B:06″
\n30 46 MEYER Cameron ‘ ‘ MTS AUS
\n31 171 KAMP Alexander ‘ ‘ RIW DEN
\n32 74 GASTAUER Ben ‘ ‘ ALM LUX
\n33 114 HERMANS Ben ‘ ‘ ICA BEL
\n34 24 CARRETERO Hector 13″ MOV ESP
\n35 136 VAN MOER Brent ‘ ‘ LTS BEL
\n36 172 ERIKSSON Lucas ‘ ‘ RIW SWE
\n37 86 WALSLEBEN Philipp 19″ COC GER
\n38 43 BAUER Jack 22″ MTS NZL
\n39 5 DUNBAR Edward 24″ INS IRL
\n40 21 LANDA MEANA Mikel ‘ ‘ MOV ESP
\n41 2 VAN BAARLE Dylan ‘ ‘ INS NED
\n42 44 DURBRIDGE Luke 01’15” MTS AUS
\n43 165 STORK Florian 01’30” SUN GER
\n44 3 GOLAS Michal 00″ INS POL
\n45 42 AFFINI Edoardo 02’29” MTS ITA
\n46 145 VERWILST Aaron 06’17” SVB BEL
\n47 146 WILLEMS Thimo ‘ ‘ SVB BEL
\n48 122 BOSTOCK Matthew ‘ ‘ DHB GBR
\n49 123 COLMAN Alex ‘ ‘
\n50 93 Jim Brown GBR GBR<\/p>\n<\/a>Jersey Winners for Stage 8 Altrincham to Manchester<\/pre>\n
\nStage Best British British Cycling 91 SWIFT Connor GREAT BRITAIN CYCLING TEAM
\nStage Best Team TEAM SUNWEBSUN
\nCombativity Wahoo 6 SIVAKOV Pavel TEAM INEOS<\/p>\nOverall Jersey Winners for OVO Energy Tour of Britain 2019<\/pre>\n
\nPoints Cetaphil Blue Jersey 41 TRENTIN Matteo MITCHELTON – SCOTT
\nKing of the Mountains Skoda 185 SCOTT Jacob SWIFTCARBON PRO CYCLING
\nBest British British Cycling 151 HOLMES Matthew MADISON GENESIS
\nSprints Eisberg Red Jersey 125 TOWNSEND Rory CANYON DHB P \/ B BLOOR HOMES
\nTeam TEAM INEOSINS
\nOverall Combativity Wahoo 2 VAN BAARLE Dylan TEAM INEOS<\/p>\n<\/a>General Classification Overall Top 50 after Stage 8<\/pre>\n
\n2 41 17″ MTS ITA 29h47’58″TRENTIN Matteo
\n3 132 50″ LTS BEL 29h48’31″DE BUYST Jasper
\n4 6 52″ INS RUS 29h48’33″SIVAKOV Pavel
\n5 32 01’01” TKA GER 29h48’42″POLITT Nils
\n6 4 ‘ ‘ INS ITA ‘ ‘MOSCON Gianni
\n7 15 01’03” TJV NED 29h48’44″TEUNISSEN Mike
\n8 22 01’04” MOV CRC 29h48’45″AMADOR Andrey
\n9 131 01’07” LTS BEL 29h48’48″BENOOT Tiesj
\n10 14 01’08” TJV NOR 29h48’49″JANSEN Amund Grondal
\n11 101 ‘ ‘ EF1 AUS ‘ ‘CLARKE Simon
\n12 104 01’10” EF1 EST 29h48’51″KANGERT Tanel
\n13 76 01’25” ALM USA 29h49’06″WARBASSE Lawrence
\n14 51 01’27” WGG BEL 29h49’08″MEURISSE Xandro
\n15 151 01’34” MGT GBR 29h49’15″HOLMES Matthew
\n16 164 ‘ ‘ SUN AUS ‘ ‘HAMILTON Christopher
\n17 1 01’35” INS GBR 29h49’16″SWIFT Ben
\n18 171 01’38” RIW DEN 29h49’19″KAMP Alexander
\n19 192 01’44” WGN GBR 29h49’25″CHRISTIAN Mark
\n20 114 01’49” ICA BEL 29h49’30″HERMANS Ben
\n21 63 01’58” TDD SUI 29h49’39″WYSS Danilo
\n22 91 02’19” GBR GBR 29h50’00″SWIFT Connor
\n23 143 02’27” SVB BEL 29h50’08″SPRENGERS Thomas
\n24 136 02’41” LTS BEL 29h50’22″VAN MOER Brent
\n25 45 02’51” MTS AUS 29h50’32″EDMONDSON Alexander
\n26 46 03’15” MTS AUS 29h50’56″MEYER Cameron
\n27 3 03’44” INS POL 29h51’25″GOLAS Michal
\n28 44 04’10” MTS AUS 29h51’51″DURBRIDGE Luke
\n29 172 05’08” RIW SWE 29h52’49″ERIKSSON Lucas
\n30 165 07’53” SUN GER 29h55’34″STORK Florian
\n31 72 08’25” ALM FRA 29h56’06″CHEREL Mika\u00ebl
\n32 181 08’41” SCB GBR 29h56’22″SHAW James
\n33 191 08’56” WGN GBR 29h56’37″DONOVAN Mark
\n34 116 09’09” ICA BEL 29h56’50″VAN ASBROECK Tom
\n35 25 09’14” MOV ARG 29h56’55″SEPULVEDA Eduardo
\n36 74 09’22” ALM LUX 29h57’03″GASTAUER Ben
\n37 66 11’49” TDD BEL 29h59’30″VERMOTE Julien
\n38 23 12’04” MOV ESP 29h59’45″BARBERO CUESTA Carlos
\n39 21 12’54” MOV ESP 30h00’35″LANDA MEANA Mikel
\n40 126 13’03” DHB NZL 30h00’44″CHRISTENSEN Ryan
\n41 2 14’30” INS NED 30h02’11″VAN BAARLE Dylan
\n42 84 15’15” COC BEL 30h02’56″JANSSENS Jimmy
\n43 71 15’52” ALM FRA 30h03’33″GALLOPIN Tony
\n44 146 16’21” SVB BEL 30h04’02″WILLEMS Thimo
\n45 105 16’32” EF1 NED 30h04’13″LANGEVELD Sebastian
\n46 145 16’44” SVB BEL 30h04’25″VERWILST Aaron
\n47 112 17’15” ICA ITA 30h04’56″CIMOLAI Davide
\n48 173 17’19” RIW NOR 30h05’00″LUNKE Sindre Skj\u00f8stad
\n49 86 19’02” COC GER 30h06’43″WALSLEBEN Philipp
\n50 16 19’40 TVJ NED 30h07,21 VAN EMDEN Jos<\/p>\nStage 7 Press Release [All Words by Sweetspot \u2013 Images by Chris Maher]<\/pre>\n
<\/a>Stage 6 Press Release<\/pre>\n
Stage 5 Press Release<\/pre>\n
Press Release Stage 4<\/pre>\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Stage 3 Press Release<\/pre>\n
<\/a><\/a>Stage 2 Press Release<\/pre>\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Stage 1 Press Release<\/pre>\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>