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Race Report & Gallery – Steve Cummings wins the Tour of Britain

by Anna Magrath | Sep 11, 2016

All images ©www.CyclingShorts.cc | www.chrismaher.co.uk

Steve Cummings clinched overall victory in the Tour of Britain at the end of the London Stage presented by TfL, finishing safely within the bunch to seal the Yellow Jersey presented by Eisberg, as Caleb Ewan sprinted to victory.

The Brit, who took the jersey after Stage Six in Devon, crossed the line on Regent Street St James in 17^th position as the bunch fought out the victory at the end of the 16-lap circuit race.

Cummings is the second British rider to win the modern incarnation of the Tour of Britain, following Sir Bradley Wiggins’ victory in 2013. Cummings also wins the Adnams Best British Rider prize.

Behind Cummings there was no change on the overall classification, with BMC Racing Team’s Rohan Dennis second at 26-seconds and Team Giant Alpecin’s Tom Dumoulin third a further 12-seconds in arrears.

Lotto Soudal’s Tony Gallopin took fourth with 2014 Tour of Britain winner Dylan Van Baarle in fifth. Team Sky’s Ben Swift was the other Brit in the top 10, finishing eighth.

Interview – Steve Cummings – 2016 Tour of Britain Winner by Cycling Shorts

2016’s Tour of Britain winner Steve Cummings of Dimension Data chats to the media post race. All content & Images ©www.CyclingShorts.cc | www.ChrisMaher.co.uk

I’m delighted. Finally I can smile and enjoy it. It’s been a tough week. It was so close that it wasn’t done until I crossed the line,” said Cummings afterwards

I’d to thank all my team-mates for keeping me out of trouble, and the British public for supporting every day like they have. It’s been a great week.

It’s a bit overwhelming, I just want to but a baseball cap on and a hood up and disappear now for a while and get back out of the way.

Steve Cummings

Tour of Britain 2016 Yellow Jersey Winner

Orica BikeExchange’s 22-year-old sprinter Caleb Ewan took his first win on British roads, becoming the ninth different stage winner of the week in a highly competitive Tour of Britain. Lotto Soudal’s Jen Debusschere had taken a flyer coming through Trafalgar Square in the final kilometre and at one stage looked like holding his advantage to the line, but such was the speed of Ewan that the young Australian rocketed past, with Dylan Groenewegen also coming past for second.

Groenewegen’s runner up spot, his fourth top ten of the week, helped him into the Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey.

In the Yodel Sprints classification An Post Chain Reaction’s Jasper Bovenhuis took the jersey, joining the day’s breakaway once again to mop up the jersey after the first of three intermediate Yodel Sprints. Bovenhuis’ final advantage was 12-points over Andre Greipel, but the German did win the overall HIGH5 Combativity Award in a week that saw him win a stage and on several occasions light up the Tour of Britain with his attacking riding.

With no SKODA King of the Mountains points on offer in London Xandro Meurisse enjoyed a final day in the jersey, adding that classification win to his seventh place overall.

Interview – Steve Cummings 2016 Tour of Britain Winner

by Anna Magrath | Sep 11, 2016

2016’s Tour of Britain winner Steve Cummings of Dimension Data chats to the media post race.

Interview – Steve Cummings – 2016 Tour of Britain Winner by Cycling Shorts

2016’s Tour of Britain winner Steve Cummings of Dimension Data chats to the media post race. All content & Images ©www.CyclingShorts.cc | www.ChrisMaher.co.uk

All content & Images ©www.CyclingShorts.cc | www.chrismaher.co.uk

Steve Cummings leads Tour of Britain heading into final stage

by Anna Magrath | Sep 10, 2016

Steve Cummings survived a penultimate stage assault from BMC Racing Team’s Rohan Dennis to head to London for the final stage of the Tour of Britain wearing the Yellow Jersey presented by Eisberg of race leader.

Having come second, behind Tony Martin, in the morning’s time trial, Dennis attacked late on in the afternoon’s second part of the Bristol Stage presented by OVO Energy to take the win and to haul himself to within 26-seconds of the overall lead.

Behind Cummings came in 15th within a group six seconds back after a frantic chase of lone leader Dennis across the Clifton Downs to limit the BMC rider’s advantage.

It was a tough two stages, First off in the morning the conditions were treacherous really with the rain so I was happy to get that done and limit my losses. Luckily the weather improved in the afternoon so that was less of a concern it was just about not losing the race at the start and being attentive at the end. I had two people I had to follow and I let one go but it wasn’t that I just fell asleep it was that I didn’t have the legs to do it! I still limited my losses though and kept the jersey so it’s a good day for everyone.

Steve Cummings

Team Dimension Data

Dennis had responded to an acceleration from Tom Dumoulin on the final of six ascents of Bridge Valley Road after the peloton had caught a four rider break containing Andre Greipel, who won the HIGH5 Combativity Award for Stage Seven, on the last of those circuits.

The former UCI World Hour Record holder went clear as the climb stiffened, showing further good climbing form in a week that has seen him star on the ascents of The Struggle in Cumbria (Stage Two) and Haytor in Devon (Stage Six). Dennis then put his time trialling abilities to the fore to hold off the 20-plus rider group behind.

Coming into the final kilometre on the Downs Cummings put in a big effort to close down Dennis and limit his losses, briefly gapping his rivals before fading slightly in the final few hundred metres for a safe 15th position.

Looking ahead to Stage Eight, the London Stage presented by TfL, Rohan Dennis was pestimistic about his chances of overturning Cummings’ advantage.

To pick up 26-seconds it means I’d have to go off the front and win the stage, and with at least four teams there that would want it to be a bunch sprint that’s pretty unlikely to be honest. The first plan will probably be just to make sure we don’t lose second and then if there is an opportunity to take time off Steve then I’ll take it, but with his team it’ll be tough they’re pretty experienced and riding the front and closing down anything that’s dangerous.

Rohan Dennis

Team BMC Racing

Stage 7 of Tour of Britain 2016 - Image ©Sweetspot

Stage 7 of Tour of Britain 2016 - Image @Theo Southee photography

Stage 6 of Tour of Britain 2016 - Image ©Sweetspot

The stage win does though move Dennis into the lead of the Chain Reaction Cycles Points classification with a six-point advantage over Dumoulin. Dutch national champion Dylan Groenewegen lies a further two points in arrears, and looks the favourite for the jersey should the final stage end in a bunch sprint, as expected.

The Yodel Sprints Jersey will go down to the final day, with An Post Chain Reaction’s Jasper Bovenhuis holding a six-point lead over Greipel, with nine points to play for at three intermediate Yodel Sprints during the 16-lap London stage.

One classification that was sealed in Bristol is the SKODA King of the Mountains Jersey, with Wanty Group Gobert’s Xandro Meurisse extending his lead over Nicolas Roche and completing his hold on the jersey that he took on Stage Two in Cumbria.

In the morning’s Alpecin Time Trial Tony Martin had ridden to the victory, clocking an 18-minutes and 6-second lap to beat Dennis by 3-seconds for the second stage win of the week for Etixx Quick-Step, with Olympic Games Silver medallist Tom Dumoulin in third.

Having twice finished second overall in the Tour of Britain (2008 and 2011), Cummings heads to London on the verge of history and becoming the first Brit since Sir Bradley Wiggins in 2013 to win his national Tour.

Speaking after the Bristol Stage presented by OVO Energy which again saw hundreds of thousands of spectators lining the roadside for the seventh day, Steve Cummings said;

All week the crowds have been fantastic here in Britain, people are loving their cycling now and it’s a really cool thing because it’s free to watch and it’s a cool way to get around being on a bike! You get a buzz and you get goosebumps from the crowds and they push you on so it’s great.

Steve Cummings

Team Dimension Data

The Tour of Britain concludes in central London on Sunday 11 September with the London Stage presented by TfL featuring 16-laps of a 6-kilometre circuit taking in the world-famous landmarks of Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. Stage Eight gets underway at 1430, with live coverage of the Tour of Britain on ITV4 from 1400 to 1700.

Jack Bauer holds off the peloton for Stage Five Tour of Britain victory

by Anna Magrath | Sep 8, 2016

Jack Bauer (Cannonade Drapac) put in an all action display to win Stage Five of the Tour of Britain into Bath with a dramatic finish on the Royal Avenue as the peloton caught the break at the line

The victory, his first individual win since breaking his leg 14-months ago at the Tour de France, came at the end of a hard 194.5-kilometre stage from Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

The Kiwi was part of a five rider break who survived until the final dash for the line, with Bauer and breakaway companions Amael Moinard and Erick Rowsell taking the 1-2-3 in Victoria Park, ahead of Caleb Ewan and Stage Four winner Dylan Groenewegen who led in the break.

It was a tough day out there. We had a great group, a really motivated group and really balanced which is quite unusual for a breakaway in that everyone really commits,” said the Cannondale Drapac rider after the stage.

I really appreciate what I have and I’ve tried to make a real go of it this year but this really caps off a difficult season for me and I think many people had written me off thinking I just couldn’t ride my bike any more or perform to the same level. But a year on I’m back and I’m able to win a race and I’m really grateful for that.

Jack Bauer

Stage 5 ToB winner, Cannonade Drapac

With the race in effect all coming back together for the finish the overall classification remained unchanged, with Julien Vermote continuing in the Yellow Jersey presented by Eisberg. The Belgian lies six seconds ahead of Steve Cummings heading towards a potentially decisive summit finish in Devon on Friday’s Stage Six.

Bauer had broken away along with Moinard, Rowsell, Javier Moreno and Johnny McEvoy as the race headed across South Wales. The quintet built a lead of over five-minutes as the race headed through Gloucestershire, which was whittled down by the teams of Lotto Soudal and LottoNL Jumbo working towards the sprint.

The gap steadily diminished, and with four rider remaining out front the gap was just a handful of seconds racing through the outskirts of Bath. Taking the penultimate left-hand corner Bauer went clear, but immediately eased as he sense the gradient steepen, following Moreno’s wheel through the final right hander before opening his sprint, to take the win as the charging peloton caught the escapees moments too late.

Dan McLay took a top ten spot in the bunch kick to move into the Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey, while Jasper Bovenhuis kept the Yodel Sprints Jersey and Xandro Meurisse the SKODA King of the Mountains jersey.

Stage 5 of Tour of Britain 2016 - Image ©Sweetspot

Stage 5 of Tour of Britain 2016 - Image @Theo Southee photography

All images ©Sweetspot & Theo Southee photography

Highlights of Stage Five are on ITV4 at 8pm with a repeat at Midday on Friday 9 September and available on demand via the ITV Hub for 30-days.

Stage Six sees the peloton head to Devon for a 150-kilometre stage from Sidmouth to Haytor in the Dartmoor National Park, which culminates with a summit finish atop a five-kilometre climb. Live coverage of Stage is on ITV4 from 12:30, with highlights at 8pm.

Tour of Britain Dylan Groenewegen wins Stage Four in Wales

by Anna Magrath | Sep 7, 2016

Dylan Groenewegen sprinted to victory at the end of Stage Four of the Tour of Britain on the Royal Welsh Showground, heading home British duo Dan McLay and Ben Swift, at the end of the 218-kilometre stage through Mid-Wales from Denbigh.

The Dutch National Champion was afforded the perfect leadout by LottoNL Jumbo teammate Tom Leezer onto the showground, and held off McLay over the final 200-metres from the last corner.

Behind Swift’s third place on the stage and resulting time bonus helped him move up to third overall, while Julien Vermote, the Yellow Jersey presented by Eisberg came home fifth to retain his race lead for a third day.

I won in Yorkshire and I’ve won here too.

Today was a very hard stage with all the climbs, and it was very long, so I knew there was only a small chance I could fight for it. But the team was very strong and I started to think I could do it. It was a very hard final but the team worked very hard and I had four guys for me, so it was a perfect team performance.

Dylan Groenewegen

Tour of Britain Stage 4 Winner, LottoNL Jumbo

It had in fact been the other Lotto team in the Tour of Britain, Lotto Soudal who had worked had to set up the sprint over the final 15-kilometre run through Powys, but they were usurped for pole position on the left hand turn into the Showground by their Dutch compatriots.

Four riders had spent the stage up the road, including Bardiani CSF’s Alessandro Tonelli as the longest surviving, and winner of the HIGH5 Combativity Award for Stage Four.

The quartet were eventually swept off when the General Classification contenders vying for the Yellow Jersey presented by Eisberg began to battle, with Dan Martin, Wout Poels and the teams of Movistar and Cannondale Drapac all active.

This flurry of attacks split the field, ditching sprinters like Mark Cavendish, Caleb Ewan and Elia Viviani, and briefly Andre Greipel, although the German national champion got back across to the leaders.

Stage 4 of Tour of Britain 2016 - Image ©Sweetspot

Stage 4 of Tour of Britain 2016 - Image @Theo Southee photography

No great advantage was ever established with some of the dropped riders able to rejoin as the race hit Rhayader and the main roads leading to Builth Wells the General Classification battle was over, barring a hotly contest intermediate Yodel Sprint in Newbridge-on-Wye with less than 20-kilometres remaining.

That Yodel Sprint saw Tony Gallopin taking the points, and more importantly the time bonuses, which elevated him into fourth overall behind Swift, but now ahead of Dan Martin.

Thanks to the win at the day’s opening Yodel Sprint in Mold, Jasper Bovenhuis retook the Yodel Sprints Jersey while the battle between Xandro Meurisse and Nicolas Roche for the SKODA King of the Mountains jersey continued apace.

The Belgian has now eked out a two-point lead over the Irish Champion and wears the jersey for a third day on Stage Five.

Julien Vermote continues in the Yellow Jersey presented by Eisberg and also inherits the Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey, while second overall Steve Cummings continues as the Adnams Best British Rider in the Tour of Britain.

Highlights of Stage Four from Denbigh to Builth Wells are on ITV4 at 8pm with a repeat on the same channel at Midday on Thursday 8 September and available on demand via the ITV Hub.

The Tour of Britain remains in Wales for the Start of Stage Five in Aberdare Park in Rhondda Cynon Taf, which then crosses South Wales and the Forest of Dean for the finish on the Royal Avenue in Bath.

Ian Stannard solos to victory in stage 3 of Tour of Britain

by Anna Magrath | Sep 6, 2016

Ian Stannard soloed to a memorable stage victory in the beautiful surrounds of Tatton Park on the outskirts of Knutsford, as huge crowds lined the route of the first every Cheshire East stage of the Tour of Britain.

The Team Sky man won by nearly two-minutes from breakaway companions Graham Briggs and Kristian House, to lead a British 1-2-3 at the end of the 180-kilometre stage from Congleton, with the peloton racing in over five and a half minutes down.

Overnight leader Julien Vermote retained the Yellow Jersey presented by Eisberg and his six second lead over Steve Cummings, with the other main General Classification positions remaining unchanged.

Speaking afterwards, Stannard, who lives locally to the Stage Three route in Wilmslow said;

I was keen to get away. It’s always nice to win from a breakaway and go solo too. I really enjoyed it today. I knew I want to go over the top of the Cat and Fiddle with about five minutes on the peloton, we’d have a chance on the run-in then. I heard it went out but I didn’t know much more. I was just happy to be up there.

Ian Stannard

Team Sky

Interview – Ian Stannard Team Sky – Stage 3 Winner Tour of Britain 2016 by Cycling Shorts

Post race interview with Ian Standard of Team Sky after he soloed to a memorable stage victory in the beautiful surrounds of Tatton Park on the outskirts of Knutsford, as huge crowds lined the route of the first every Cheshire East stage of the Tour of Britain.

After being waved away in front of the biggest crowds of the week so far in the historic market town of Congleton, it was Matt Cronshaw of Madison Genesis who lit the race up, attacking as soon as the race was de-neutralised on the outskirts of town, taking Briggs, House and Stannard with him.

The break was down to three by the time it reached the second SKODA King of the Mountains climb of the Brickworks, with Cronshaw distanced and eventually swept up on the day’s final categorised climb of the Cat & Fiddle.

Over the top of that climb as the route navigated a series of false flats across the moors of the Peak District National Park Stannard went away,

Lunch Ride – Ian Stannard’s 178.6 km bike ride

EPIC RIDE, GREAT STAGE VICTORY, EXTREME KUDOS!!! managed to see rac4 times, at start Congleton, at KOM Alderley & bottom of Cat & up the little hill for Gawsworth from Fools Nook.

casting Briggs and House adrift to then contest their own race for second.

Stannard was long since finished and celebrating with family and his team as Briggs and Middlewich resident House fought out the battle for second, Briggs staying on the ONE Pro Cycling man’s wheel to come around House in the final metres for the runner-up spot.

Bardiani CSF’s Nicola Ruffoni led in the peloton for fourth, outsprinting Danny Van Poppel and Ramon Sinkeldam, who pulled on the Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey.

Andre Greipel retains the Yodel Sprints jersey going into Stage Four in Wales, while Xandro Meurisse keeps the SKODA King of the Mountains jersey for a further day. The Belgian enjoyed a day long tussle with Nicolas Roche for the remaining points at each of the three climbs, but only managed to extend his hold on the jersey by a solitary point.

Stage Four is the longest of the 2016 Tour of Britain, weighing in at 218-kilometres from Denbigh to Builth Wells, and also including 4,000-metres of ascent as the route wends its way south through Mid-Wales to the finish on the Royal Welsh Showground.

Race Report & Gallery – Steve Cummings wins the Tour of Britain

Interview – Steve Cummings – 2016 Tour of Britain Winner by Cycling Shorts

Interview – Steve Cummings 2016 Tour of Britain Winner

Interview – Steve Cummings – 2016 Tour of Britain Winner by Cycling Shorts

Steve Cummings leads Tour of Britain heading into final stage

Jack Bauer holds off the peloton for Stage Five Tour of Britain victory

Tour of Britain Dylan Groenewegen wins Stage Four in Wales

Ian Stannard solos to victory in stage 3 of Tour of Britain

Interview – Ian Stannard Team Sky – Stage 3 Winner Tour of Britain 2016 by Cycling Shorts

Lunch Ride – Ian Stannard’s 178.6 km bike ride

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