No gaps between the general classification contenders.
Remco Evenepoel made his return to competition at the Tour of Britain – his last outing before traveling to Rwanda in a couple of weeks for the World Championships – a race where last year he helped the team get a total of three wins. The double Olympic Champion, victorious in five races so far this season, enjoyed a quiet day in the bunch, as the race travelled from Woodbridge to Southwold, over a 161.4km course containing just one small climb.
A four-man breakaway formed minutes after the start, but the peloton didn’t give them too much room and controlled the gap the entire time, bringing the escapees back with five kilometers to go. In the bunch sprint, Olav Kooij (Visma-Lease a Bike) prevailed, while Luke Lamperti finished as the best-placed Soudal Quick-Step rider.
“It was a nice day to ease back into racing and it felt good to be again in the peloton after all this time. I am happy to be back in Britain, for a race I like a lot and where our team has won so many stages in the past. We continue to take it day by day and go for some good results when presented with the opportunity”, Remco said at the finish.
On Wednesday, the race will continue with a stage around Stowmarket, which despite a more rolling terrain and the presence of a classified climb just 20 kilometers from the line, should come down to another showdown between the sprinters.
Photo credit: ©SWpix
