Tour of Britain: Ewan wins stage 3
Australian regains race lead
The Tour of Britain saw another close finish on stage 3, as Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott) took his second win in three days in Scunthorpe. Norwegian duo Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) and Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin) rounded out the top-three.
An uphill finish had raised questions about whether today would be one for the puncheurs or another for the fast-men, but with so many top quality sprinters at the race, it would take something special to overcome them.
Indeed, the pace-setting by Team Sky, Dimension Data and Katusha almost came to naught as Philippe Gilbert (Quick Step Floors) made his bid for glory as the peloton hit the incline of the final two kilometers. It was a show of strength that signals his form a few weeks ahead of the World Championships, but he would fall short of the victory by 50 meters.
With Gilbert caught, the race was back in the sprinter's hands, and three emerged with a clear gap over the rest of the peloton. As with stage 1, Ewan had the best line, hugging the barriers to beat Boasson Hagen to the line by a wheel-length.
"I was a bit disappointed after yesterday," Ewan said. "I was boxed in during the sprint so I never got to open up [my sprint]. Luckily the team still backed me 100 per cent, and we rode like we were going for the win straight from the start.
"I didn't know how I would feel [today], and I suffered a little on the climb. When [Philippe] Gilbert went, I had to pretty much go full gas. I was dying in the end and luckily it was enough to hold on."
Ewan, who took the leader's jersey back from Elia Viviani (Team Sky), triumphed in spite of the poor weather conditions that dogged the stage.
"It was a tough stage all day. There was a little bit of wind and rain about I don't go that good in the cold anymore. I'm constantly chasing the sun around so when it gets cold and wet I start to feel not so great."
How it unfolded
On a damp, grey afternoon in North Lincolnshire, the break of the day didn't have much trouble establishing itself. Within ten kilometers an all-British break consisting of Pete Williams (ONE Pro Cycling), Harry Tanfield (Bike Channel-Canyon), Matthew Holmes (Madison-Genesis), Ian Bibby and Graham Briggs (both JLT-Condor) had gone clear.
The five quickly amassed a gap of three minutes before some solid JLT teamwork saw Briggs take the first sprint point of the day, earning the virtual red jersey. He would go on to take the maximum points available at the two remaining sprints, earning him a nine point lead over One Pro Cycling's Karol Domagalski.
Briggs, who hails from nearby Doncaster, also leads the mountain classification having led the break over all the first two of the stage's three classified climbs.
For much of the stage, Sky and Orica-Scott were visible at the front of the peloton, ready for the anticipated uphill sprint finish in Scunthorpe. Heading into the final 30km, Katusha also joined the pace-making efforts as the gap to the breakaway started to fall.
The sun came out just in time for the final run-in to Scunthorpe, with the break fracturing just before the final climb of the day at 15km from the finish. After all his hard work Briggs was understandably the first to go, with Tanfield also falling back.
A final flourish from Bibby saw him take the final mountain points of the day, but with 11km to go the peloton made the catch. There were counter-attacks from Rob Partridge (Bike Channel-Canyon) and Simone Andreetta (Bardiani-CSF) but neither made any headway.
The final kilometers saw a flurry of different teams on the front of the peloton, including a short stint from CCC Sprandi-Polkowice. In the final 5km, it was Dimension Data who took control, as they looked to set up Edvald Boasson Hagen for a win after the disappointment of yesterday's demotion.
Ever the opportunist, Gilbert launched off the front on the uphill drag to the finish, and it looked for a moment as if he would spoil the sprinter's party. But as the road flattened the charging peloton bore down on the Belgian, and he was swallowed up in the final 50 meters.
Then, it was up to the eventual podium trio to battle it out amongst themselves, the class of the field. In another close finish, it was Ewan who prevailed over the two Norwegians.
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-Scott | 4:04:05 |
2 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha-Alpecin | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Brenton Jones (Aus) JLT Condor | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | Mads Würtz Schmidt (Den) Katusha-Alpecin | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Andrea Pasqualon (Ita) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Daniele Bennati (Ita) Movistar Team | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Nikolas Maes (Bel) Lotto Soudal | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
11 | Tony Martin (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
12 | Dylan Van Baarle (Ned) Cannondale-Drapac | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Quick-Step Floors | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
14 | Gorka Izagirre (Spa) Movistar Team | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | Stefan Küng (Swi) BMC Racing Team | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
16 | Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | Dion Smith (NZl) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
18 | Floris Gerts (Ned) BMC Racing Team | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
19 | Matthew Teggart (Irl) An Post Chain Reaction | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
20 | Fernando Gaviria (Col) Quick-Step Floors | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
21 | Luka Mezgec (Slo) Orica-Scott | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
22 | Christopher Lawless (GBr) Great Britain | Row 21 - Cell 2 |
23 | Victor Campenaerts (Bel) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
24 | Laurens De Plus (Bel) Quick-Step Floors | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
25 | Alex Dowsett (GBr) Movistar Team | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
26 | Gijs Van Hoecke (Bel) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
27 | Maciej Paterski (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
28 | Michael Hepburn (Aus) Orica-Scott | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
30 | Vincenzo Albanese (Ita) Bardiani CSF | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
31 | Steele Von Hoff (Aus) One Pro Cycling | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
32 | Brent Bookwalter (USA) BMC Racing Team | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
33 | Scott Thwaites (GBr) Dimension Data | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
34 | Owain Doull (GBr) Team Sky | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
35 | Jos Van Emden (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | Row 34 - Cell 2 |
36 | Joey Rosskopf (USA) BMC Racing Team | Row 35 - Cell 2 |
37 | Xandro Meurisse (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | Row 36 - Cell 2 |
38 | Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
39 | Silvan Dillier (Swi) BMC Racing Team | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
40 | Imanol Erviti (Spa) Movistar Team | Row 39 - Cell 2 |
41 | Connor Swift (GBr) Madison Genesis | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
42 | Nils Politt (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
43 | Hugh Carthy (GBr) Cannondale-Drapac | Row 42 - Cell 2 |
44 | Kamil Gradek (Pol) One Pro Cycling | Row 43 - Cell 2 |
45 | Reto Hollenstein (Swi) Katusha-Alpecin | Row 44 - Cell 2 |
46 | Karol Domagalski (Pol) One Pro Cycling | Row 45 - Cell 2 |
47 | Ryan Mullen (Irl) Cannondale-Drapac | Row 46 - Cell 2 |
48 | Hayden Mccormick (NZl) One Pro Cycling | Row 47 - Cell 2 |
49 | Jonathan Castroviejo (Spa) Movistar Team | Row 48 - Cell 2 |
50 | James Shaw (GBr) Lotto Soudal | Row 49 - Cell 2 |
51 | Patrick Bevin (NZl) Cannondale-Drapac | Row 50 - Cell 2 |
52 | Mark Stewart (GBr) An Post Chain Reaction | Row 51 - Cell 2 |
53 | James Oram (NZl) One Pro Cycling | Row 52 - Cell 2 |
54 | Marcel Sieberg (Ger) Lotto Soudal | Row 53 - Cell 2 |
55 | Russell Downing (GBr) JLT Condor | Row 54 - Cell 2 |
56 | Ariel Maximiliano Richeze (Arg) Quick-Step Floors | Row 55 - Cell 2 |
57 | Daniel Martin (Irl) Quick-Step Floors | Row 56 - Cell 2 |
58 | Lukasz Owsian (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | Row 57 - Cell 2 |
59 | Senne Leysen (Bel) Lotto Soudal | Row 58 - Cell 2 |
60 | Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Team Sky | Row 59 - Cell 2 |
61 | Primoz Roglic (Slo) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | Row 60 - Cell 2 |
62 | Rory Sutherland (Aus) Movistar Team | Row 61 - Cell 2 |
63 | Lars Boom (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | Row 62 - Cell 2 |
64 | Tiago Machado (Por) Katusha-Alpecin | Row 63 - Cell 2 |
65 | Alessandro Tonelli (Ita) Bardiani CSF | Row 64 - Cell 2 |
66 | Regan Gough (NZl) An Post Chain Reaction | Row 65 - Cell 2 |
67 | James Knox (GBr) Great Britain | Row 66 - Cell 2 |
68 | Enrico Barbin (Ita) Bardiani CSF | Row 67 - Cell 2 |
69 | Eric Marcotte (USA) Cylance Cycling | Row 68 - Cell 2 |
70 | Dexter Gardias (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | Row 69 - Cell 2 |
71 | Richard Handley (GBr) Madison Genesis | Row 70 - Cell 2 |
72 | James Lowsley-Williams (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | Row 71 - Cell 2 |
73 | Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Bardiani CSF | Row 72 - Cell 2 |
74 | Rory Townsend (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | 0:00:15 |
75 | Oliver Wood (GBr) Great Britain | Row 74 - Cell 2 |
76 | Kris Boeckmans (Bel) Lotto Soudal | 0:00:30 |
77 | Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani CSF | 0:00:48 |
78 | Thomas Gibbons (USA) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | Row 77 - Cell 2 |
79 | Mark Renshaw (Aus) Dimension Data | 0:00:50 |
80 | Ethan Hayter (GBr) Great Britain | 0:00:57 |
81 | Ben Hermans (Bel) BMC Racing Team | 0:01:05 |
82 | Jay Thompson (RSA) Dimension Data | Row 81 - Cell 2 |
83 | Andres Diaz (Ven) Cylance Cycling | Row 82 - Cell 2 |
84 | Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data | Row 83 - Cell 2 |
85 | Alexandre Blain (Fra) Madison Genesis | Row 84 - Cell 2 |
86 | Mark Mcnally (GBr) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | Row 85 - Cell 2 |
87 | Enzo Wouters (Bel) Lotto Soudal | Row 86 - Cell 2 |
88 | Harry Tanfield (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | Row 87 - Cell 2 |
89 | Jonathan Mcevoy (GBr) Madison Genesis | Row 88 - Cell 2 |
90 | Taylor Gunman (NZl) Madison Genesis | Row 89 - Cell 2 |
91 | Sean Mckenna (Irl) An Post Chain Reaction | Row 90 - Cell 2 |
92 | Damien Shaw (Irl) An Post Chain Reaction | Row 91 - Cell 2 |
93 | Jan Tratnik (Slo) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | Row 92 - Cell 2 |
94 | James Gullen (GBr) JLT Condor | Row 93 - Cell 2 |
95 | Alistair Slater (GBr) JLT Condor | Row 94 - Cell 2 |
96 | Peter Williams (GBr) One Pro Cycling | Row 95 - Cell 2 |
97 | Roger Kluge (Ger) Orica-Scott | 0:01:43 |
98 | Jacob Hennessy (GBr) Great Britain | Row 97 - Cell 2 |
99 | Luke Durbridge (Aus) Orica-Scott | 0:02:05 |
100 | Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Team Sky | Row 99 - Cell 2 |
101 | Marcin Bialoblocki (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | Row 100 - Cell 2 |
102 | Robert Partridge (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | Row 101 - Cell 2 |
103 | Jonas Koch (Ger) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | Row 102 - Cell 2 |
104 | Orlando Garibay (Mex) Cylance Cycling | Row 103 - Cell 2 |
105 | Chris Opie (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | Row 104 - Cell 2 |
106 | Kyle Murphy (USA) Cylance Cycling | Row 105 - Cell 2 |
107 | Jacob Scott (GBr) An Post Chain Reaction | Row 106 - Cell 2 |
108 | Davide Formolo (Ita) Cannondale-Drapac | Row 107 - Cell 2 |
109 | Bernhard Eisel (Aut) Dimension Data | 0:02:22 |
110 | Rob Power (Aus) Orica-Scott | 0:02:50 |
111 | Simone Andreetta (Ita) Bardiani CSF | 0:02:59 |
112 | Matthew Holmes (GBr) Madison Genesis | 0:03:23 |
113 | Adam Hartley (GBr) Great Britain | 0:03:52 |
114 | Graham Briggs (GBr) JLT Condor | 0:03:55 |
115 | Bryan Lewis (USA) Cylance Cycling | Row 114 - Cell 2 |
116 | Alan Banaszek (Pol) CCC Sprandi Polkowice | 0:04:28 |
117 | Ian Bibby (GBr) JLT Condor | 0:05:50 |
DNS | Wesley Kreder (Ned) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | Row 117 - Cell 2 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Graham Briggs (GBr) JLT Condor | 3 | pts |
2 | Ian Bibby (GBr) JLT Condor | 2 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Harry Tanfield (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | 1 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Graham Briggs (GBr) JLT Condor | 3 | pts |
2 | Ian Bibby (GBr) JLT Condor | 2 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Harry Tanfield (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | 1 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Graham Briggs (GBr) JLT Condor | 3 | pts |
2 | Matthew Holmes (GBr) Madison Genesis | 2 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Harry Tanfield (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | 1 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-Scott | 15 | pts |
2 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data | 14 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha-Alpecin | 13 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
4 | Brenton Jones (Aus) JLT Condor | 12 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
5 | Mads Würtz Schmidt (Den) Katusha-Alpecin | 11 | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
6 | Andrea Pasqualon (Ita) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | 10 | Row 5 - Cell 3 |
7 | Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky | 9 | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
8 | Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors | 8 | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
9 | Daniele Bennati (Ita) Movistar Team | 7 | Row 8 - Cell 3 |
10 | Nikolas Maes (Bel) Lotto Soudal | 6 | Row 9 - Cell 3 |
11 | Tony Martin (Ger) Katusha-Alpecin | 5 | Row 10 - Cell 3 |
12 | Dylan Van Baarle (Ned) Cannondale-Drapac | 4 | Row 11 - Cell 3 |
13 | Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Quick-Step Floors | 3 | Row 12 - Cell 3 |
14 | Gorka Izagirre (Spa) Movistar Team | 2 | Row 13 - Cell 3 |
15 | Stefan Küng (Swi) BMC Racing Team | 1 | Row 14 - Cell 3 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Graham Briggs (GBr) JLT Condor | 4 | pts |
2 | Ian Bibby (GBr) JLT Condor | 3 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Matthew Holmes (GBr) Madison Genesis | 2 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
4 | Harry Tanfield (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | 1 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Graham Briggs (GBr) JLT Condor | 4 | pts |
2 | Ian Bibby (GBr) JLT Condor | 3 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Harry Tanfield (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | 2 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
4 | Matthew Holmes (GBr) Madison Genesis | 1 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ian Bibby (GBr) JLT Condor | 4 | pts |
2 | Matthew Holmes (GBr) Madison Genesis | 3 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Peter Williams (GBr) One Pro Cycling | 2 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
4 | Jacob Scott (GBr) An Post Chain Reaction | 1 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Christopher Lawless (GBr) Great Britain | 4:04:05 |
2 | Alex Dowsett (GBr) Movistar Team | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Scott Thwaites (GBr) Dimension Data | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Owain Doull (GBr) Team Sky | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Connor Swift (GBr) Madison Genesis | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Hugh Carthy (GBr) Cannondale-Drapac | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | James Shaw (GBr) Lotto Soudal | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Mark Stewart (GBr) An Post Chain Reaction | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Russell Downing (GBr) JLT Condor | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
11 | James Knox (GBr) Great Britain | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
12 | Dexter Gardias (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Richard Handley (GBr) Madison Genesis | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
14 | James Lowsley-Williams (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | Rory Townsend (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | 0:00:15 |
16 | Oliver Wood (GBr) Great Britain | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | Ethan Hayter (GBr) Great Britain | 0:00:57 |
18 | Mark Cavendish (GBr) Dimension Data | 0:01:05 |
19 | Mark Mcnally (GBr) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
20 | Harry Tanfield (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
21 | Jonathan Mcevoy (GBr) Madison Genesis | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
22 | James Gullen (GBr) JLT Condor | Row 21 - Cell 2 |
23 | Alistair Slater (GBr) JLT Condor | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
24 | Peter Williams (GBr) One Pro Cycling | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
25 | Jacob Hennessy (GBr) Great Britain | 0:01:43 |
26 | Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBr) Team Sky | 0:02:05 |
27 | Robert Partridge (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
28 | Chris Opie (GBr) Bike Channel Canyon | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | Jacob Scott (GBr) An Post Chain Reaction | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
30 | Matthew Holmes (GBr) Madison Genesis | 0:03:23 |
31 | Adam Hartley (GBr) Great Britain | 0:03:52 |
32 | Graham Briggs (GBr) JLT Condor | 0:03:55 |
33 | Ian Bibby (GBr) JLT Condor | 0:05:50 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Katusha - Alpecin | 12:12:15 |
2 | Quick Step Floors | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Movistar Team | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Orica - Scott | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | Wanty - Groupe Gobert | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | BMC Racing Team | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Team Lotto.Nl - Jumbo | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Team Sky | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Cannondale - Drapac | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Lotto - Soudal | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
11 | ONE Pro Cycling | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
12 | An Post - Chain Reaction | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Bardiani - CSF | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
14 | Great Britain | 0:00:15 |
15 | Bike Channel - Canyon | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
16 | Dimension Data | 0:00:50 |
17 | JLT Condor | 0:01:05 |
18 | CCC Sprandi - Polkowice | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
19 | Madison - Genesis | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
20 | Cylance Pro Cycling | 0:03:10 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-Scott | 13:54:34 |
2 | Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky | 0:00:06 |
3 | Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Dimension Data | 0:00:07 |
4 | Karol Domagalski (Pol) One Pro Cycling | 0:00:14 |
5 | Silvan Dillier (Swi) BMC Racing Team | 0:00:15 |
6 | Kamil Gradek (Pol) One Pro Cycling | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha-Alpecin | 0:00:16 |
8 | Fernando Gaviria (Col) Quick-Step Floors | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Lars Boom (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | 0:00:18 |
10 | Zdenek Stybar (Cze) Quick-Step Floors | 0:00:20 |
11 | Nikolas Maes (Bel) Lotto Soudal | Row 10 - Cell 2 |