Tour of Britain: Stannard solos to victory on stage 3

Ian Stannard (Team Sky) won stage three of the Tour of Britain from Congleton to Knutsford with an aggressive ride in the country lanes and rolling hills of northwest England.

The British Classics rider was part of the break of the day with Kristian House (ONE Pro Cycling), Graham Briggs (JTL Condor) and Matt Cronshaw (Madison Genesis) that opened a six-minute lead on the peloton. None of them were a threat to the overall lead of stage two winner Julian Vermote (Etixx-QuickStep) and so were given a chance to pursuit the stage victory.

Stannard attacked alone with 41km to go after the long but steady Cat and Fiddle climb in the rugged Peak District. He powered his way to the finish to savour a special solo victory. Briggs won the sprint for second place at 1:46, with House sitting up to take third place after leading out the sprint.

The peloton refused to help the Dimension Data team organise a chase and rode steady throughout the stage, finishing almost six minutes behind Stannard, with Nicola Ruffoni (Bardiani-CSF) winning a surprisingly hotly contested sprint for fourth place.

Stannard was proud to have won his first ever stage of his national tour. It was also his first victory since he outfoxed three Etixx-Quick Step riders in the final at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in 2015. He was extra happy to greet his partner and young family at the finish after riding on what are now his local training roads when he is at home in Britain.

"It's a pretty big day for me. I was motivated for this stage because it was pretty much on home roads," Stannard 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. It as special to be racing at home."

How it happened

After a wet and windy in northern England on Monday, the Tour of Britain peloton enjoyed warmer, dry conditions on stage three on the roads through the Cheshire and into the stunning Peak District in the northwest of England. The only rider not to start was talented young American Adrien Costa of Etixx-Quick Step. He crashed hard on Monday, finished the stage but needs special treatment for his injuries.

The climbs began in the final 60km, with House taking the points atop the climb in Alderley Edge. Soon after, on the Brickworks climb, Cronshaw was distanced as the other three kept the pace high and their lead on the pack at six minutes. Xandro Meurisse (Wanty Groupe Gobert) picked up a single point over Alderley Edge to give him a one-point lead in mountains competition. However, House also took the maximum 10 points over the Brickworks climb, putting him in fourth in the mountains competition and making him a real threat to Meurisse.

The Cat and Fiddle

Next up was the 10km Cat and Fiddle climb, named after the pub that sits at the summit. The road climbs gradually, allowing the break to cover it at speed, while Dimension Data set a steady pace behind. Vermote suffered a mechanical, breaking some spokes in a wheel but was soon back in the bunch after a wheel change.

House was the first to the exposed treeless summit and so grabbed maximum points. However behind Meurisse fought back to take the remaining points and ended the stage in the leader's special jersey with 33 points. Nicolas Roche (Team Sky) is second with 32 points after his aggressive ride on stage two and House is third with 26 points.

Stannard knew the break led the peloton by more six minutes, and so went on the attack as the road dived off the climb to the flat lanes of Cheshire. He knew he had the power to get away from his British rivals and did not want to risk a sprint finish. Cheered on by the large local crowd, Stannard soon opened a 90-second lead and never looked back.

By the time Stannard reached the finish, he had time to straighten his jersey, wave to the crowd and let out a big sigh of relief after a big day out and special victory.

Briggs stuck to House's wheel in the finale and won the sprint for second place thanks to his speed honed on the British circuit race scene. The peloton also fought for victory despite being five minutes back, with Ruffoni taking the sprint for fourth place some 5:43 behind Stannard.

The Tour of Britain continues on Wednesday with the 217km fourth stage from Denbigh to Builth Wells in Wales. With several nasty climbs and remote roads, it could be a key day in the fight for overall victory.

He seals the deal by crossing the line, what a ride by @TeamSky @IStannard #tob2016 pic.twitter.com/0vhOiStl6P

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