Tour of Britain: Greipel wins opening stage
German beats Ewan and Gaviria in stage 1 sprint
Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal) landed the sixth Tour of Britain stage of his career in Newport, with a late drive to the finish line showing the young Turks of sprinting Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott) and Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step floors) that he is still capable of winning, with the added twist that Ewan is set to replace the near-veteran German at Lotto Soudal next year.
After a largely controlled stage behind a six-man break that was never allowed to gain more than three minutes, the race briefly blew apart on the short steep climb of Belmont Hill, eight kilometres from the line, with Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) celebrating his return to home roads with a furious attack which looked serious in intent until the celebrations since the Tour de France made themselves felt, and he went backwards like a stone dropping off a bridge.
The pacemaking was taken over by Julian Alaphilippe, with his Quick-Step Floors teammate Bob Jungels close behind, and Direct Energie’s Jonathan Hivert closing on the descent with Katusha-Alpecin’s Mads Wartz Schmidt. The quartet collaborated briefly to gain 11 seconds, with Jungels then continuing solo as Alaphilippe marked the other two. The move was not planned, said the Quick-Step directeur sportive Brian Holm, with all his riders given a free hand in the final kilometres.
With the sprint teams struggling to get organised after the flurry of attacks up Belmont, it looked briefly as if Jungels might stay clear after the chasing trio were swept up three kilometres from home, but the Luxembourger gave best at the kilometre, setting the stage for a hectic sprint led out by BMC Racing. Gaviria flew clear too early, opening a two-length gap, but leaving Ewan time to make his effort on the left of the finish straight while Greipel went through the middle, swerving right to take advantage of a slight curve in the road.
The early escape took shape soon after the start flag was dropped at the exit from Pembrey Country Park, and it consisted of five riders from UK teams: Richard Handley (Madison-Genesis), Tom Moses (JLT-Condor), Matthew Teggart (Wiggins), Matt Bostock (Great Britain), with South African Nic Diamini from Dimension Data the only World Tour presence.
The sextet were clearly targeting the intermediate sprints and climbs, with Diamini ending up in the mountains jersey and Bostock in the sprint leader’s tunic, and with no more than a 2min 45sec advantage they were never going to survive to the finish, as Mitchelton-Scott, Team Sky, Quick-Step and EF Education First-Drapac maintained a constant tempo behind. The end came with 11 kilometres to go, after which the peloton was led at warp speed to the foot of Belmont by Ian Stannard and Vasil Kiriyenka.
While the race finished largely together in spite of the final climb before the finish, serious splits were anticipated on the hillier roads of North Devon on Monday, with a host of unranked ups and downs before the lengthy ascent of Bratton Fleming and the first-category climb of Challacombe before the finish in Barnstaple.
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal | 4:00:54 |
2 | Caleb Ewan (Aus) Mitchelton - Scott | |
3 | Fernando Gaviria Rendon (Col) Quick - Step Floors | |
4 | Gabriel Cullaigh (GBr) Team Wiggins | |
5 | Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Bmc Racing Team | |
6 | Andrea Pasqualon (Ita) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
7 | Ethan Hayter (GBr) Great Britain | |
8 | Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani Csf | |
9 | Vincenzo Albanese (Ita) Bardiani Csf | |
10 | Wout Poels (Ned) Team Sky | |
11 | Romain Cardis (Fra) Direct Energie | |
12 | Sacha Modolo (Ita) Team Ef Education First - Drapac P/B Cannondale | |
13 | Edward Theuns (Bel) Team Sunweb | |
14 | Jasha Sütterlin (Ger) Movistar Team | |
15 | Scott Thwaites (GBr) Team Dimension Data | |
16 | Ben Swift (GBr) Great Britain | |
17 | Rick Zabel (Ger) Team Katusha Alpecin | |
18 | Carlos Barbero (Spa) Movistar Team | |
19 | Joseph Nally (GBr) Great Britain | |
20 | Emils Liepins (Lat) One Pro Cycling | |
21 | Alex Dowsett (GBr) Team Katusha Alpecin | |
22 | Koen Bouwman (Ned) Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo | |
23 | Jos Van Emden (Ned) Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo | |
24 | Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
25 | Nils Politt (Ger) Team Katusha Alpecin | |
26 | Dion Smith (NZl) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
27 | Xandro Meurisse (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
28 | José Rojas (Spa) Movistar Team | |
29 | Mark Renshaw (Aus) Team Dimension Data | |
30 | Thomas Stewart (GBr) Jlt Condor | |
31 | Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned) Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo | |
32 | Lennard Hofstede (Ned) Team Sunweb | |
33 | Patrick Bevin (NZl) Bmc Racing Team | |
34 | Enrico Barbin (Ita) Bardiani Csf | |
35 | Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Direct Energie | |
36 | Jay Robert Thomson (RSA) Team Dimension Data | |
37 | Taylor Phinney (USA) Team Ef Education First - Drapac P/B Cannondale | |
38 | Jonathan Mould (GBr) Jlt Condor | |
39 | Thomas Pidcock (GBr) Team Wiggins | |
40 | Ruben Fernandez (Spa) Movistar Team | |
41 | Matthew Holmes (GBr) Madison Genesis | |
42 | Neilson Powless (USA) Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo | |
43 | Stefan Küng (Swi) Bmc Racing Team | |
44 | Fred Wright (GBr) | |
45 | Christopher Hamilton (Aus) Team Sunweb | |
46 | Maximilian Stedman (GBr) Canyon Eisberg | |
47 | Dmitrii Strakhov (Rus) Lokosphinx | |
48 | Bob Jungels (Lux) Quick - Step Floors | |
49 | Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
50 | Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick - Step Floors | |
51 | Matti Breschel (Den) Team Ef Education First - Drapac P/B Cannondale | |
52 | Hugh John Carthy (GBr) Team Ef Education First - Drapac P/B Cannondale | |
53 | Ryan Christensen (NZl) Canyon Eisberg | |
54 | Nils Eekhoff (Ned) Development Team Sunweb | |
55 | Matthew Teggart (Irl) Team Wiggins | |
56 | Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) Bmc Racing Team | |
57 | Mads Schmidt Würtz (Den) Team Katusha Alpecin | |
58 | Paul Ourselin (Fra) Direct Energie | |
59 | Scott Davies (GBr) Team Dimension Data | |
60 | Edmund Bradbury (GBr) Jlt Condor | |
61 | Eduardo Sepulveda (Arg) Movistar Team | |
62 | Andrew Tennant (GBr) Canyon Eisberg | |
63 | Victor De La Parte (Spa) Movistar Team | |
64 | Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky | |
65 | Tony Martin (Ger) Team Katusha Alpecin | |
66 | Tejay Van Garderen (USA) Bmc Racing Team | |
67 | Daniel Mclay (GBr) Team Ef Education First - Drapac P/B Cannondale | |
68 | Hayden Mccormick (NZl) One Pro Cycling | |
69 | Giovanni Carboni (Ita) Bardiani Csf | |
70 | Maximiliano Ariel Richeze (Arg) Quick - Step Floors | |
71 | Maarten Wynants (Bel) Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo | |
72 | Alessandro Tonelli (Ita) Bardiani Csf | |
73 | Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Quick - Step Floors | |
74 | Simone Antonini (Ita) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
75 | Cameron Meyer (Aus) Mitchelton - Scott | |
76 | Miles Scotson (Aus) Bmc Racing Team | |
77 | Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky | |
78 | Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
79 | Mikel Nieve Iturralde (Spa) Mitchelton - Scott | |
80 | Mark Mcnally (GBr) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
81 | Stephen Williams (GBr) Great Britain | |
82 | Primož Roglic (Slo) Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo | |
83 | Joey Walker (GBr) Team Wiggins | |
84 | Alistair Slater (GBr) Jlt Condor | |
85 | Moreno Hofland (Ned) Lotto Soudal | |
86 | Angelo Tulik (Fra) Direct Energie | |
87 | James Oram (NZl) One Pro Cycling | |
88 | Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Team Sky | |
89 | Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Direct Energie | |
90 | Rob Power (Aus) Mitchelton - Scott | |
91 | Jaco Venter (RSA) Team Dimension Data | |
92 | James Shaw (GBr) Lotto Soudal | 0:00:25 |
93 | Connor Swift (GBr) Madison Genesis | 0:00:53 |
94 | Roger Kluge (Ger) Mitchelton - Scott | |
95 | Andrea Guardini (Ita) Bardiani Csf | 0:02:26 |
96 | Thomas Baylis (GBr) One Pro Cycling | |
97 | Christopher Latham (GBr) One Pro Cycling | |
98 | Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Team Sunweb | |
99 | Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Direct Energie | |
100 | George Pym (GBr) Madison Genesis | |
101 | Lukasz Wisniowski (Pol) Team Sky | 0:03:55 |
102 | Ian Stannard (GBr) Team Sky | |
103 | Alex Paton (GBr) Canyon Eisberg | |
104 | Dexter Gardias (GBr) Canyon Eisberg | |
105 | Nicholas Dlamini (RSA) Team Dimension Data | |
106 | Peter Williams (GBr) One Pro Cycling | |
107 | Thomas Moses (GBr) Jlt Condor | |
108 | James Fouche (NZl) Team Wiggins | |
109 | Louis Vervaeke (Bel) Team Sunweb | |
110 | Erick Rowsell (GBr) Madison Genesis | 0:04:47 |
111 | Richard Handley (GBr) Madison Genesis | |
112 | Rory Townsend (GBr) Canyon Eisberg | |
113 | Iljo Keisse (Bel) Quick - Step Floors | |
114 | Jonathan Mcevoy (GBr) Madison Genesis | |
115 | Lucas Hamilton (Aus) Mitchelton - Scott | |
116 | Mark Downey (Irl) Team Wiggins | |
117 | Matthew Bostock (GBr) Great Britain | |
118 | Graham Briggs (GBr) Jlt Condor | 0:05:38 |
119 | José Fernandes (Por) W52/Fc Porto | 0:06:38 |
DNS | Odd Christian Eiking (Nor) Wanty - Groupe Gobert |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal | 4:00:44 |
2 | Caleb Ewan (Aus) Mitchelton - Scott | 0:00:04 |
3 | Fernando Gaviria Rendon (Col) Quick - Step Floors | 0:00:06 |
4 | Gabriel Cullaigh (GBr) Team Wiggins | 0:00:10 |
5 | Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) Bmc Racing Team | |
6 | Andrea Pasqualon (Ita) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
7 | Ethan Hayter (GBr) Great Britain | |
8 | Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani Csf | |
9 | Vincenzo Albanese (Ita) Bardiani Csf | |
10 | Wout Poels (Ned) Team Sky | |
11 | Romain Cardis (Fra) Direct Energie | |
12 | Sacha Modolo (Ita) Team Ef Education First - Drapac P/B Cannondale | |
13 | Edward Theuns (Bel) Team Sunweb | |
14 | Jasha Sütterlin (Ger) Movistar Team | |
15 | Scott Thwaites (GBr) Team Dimension Data | |
16 | Ben Swift (GBr) Great Britain | |
17 | Rick Zabel (Ger) Team Katusha Alpecin | |
18 | Carlos Barbero (Spa) Movistar Team | |
19 | Joseph Nally (GBr) Great Britain | |
20 | Emils Liepins (Lat) One Pro Cycling | |
21 | Alex Dowsett (GBr) Team Katusha Alpecin | |
22 | Koen Bouwman (Ned) Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo | |
23 | Jos Van Emden (Ned) Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo | |
24 | Jasper De Buyst (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
25 | Nils Politt (Ger) Team Katusha Alpecin | |
26 | Dion Smith (NZl) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
27 | Xandro Meurisse (Bel) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
28 | José Rojas (Spa) Movistar Team | |
29 | Mark Renshaw (Aus) Team Dimension Data | |
30 | Thomas Stewart (GBr) Jlt Condor | |
31 | Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned) Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo | |
32 | Lennard Hofstede (Ned) Team Sunweb | |
33 | Patrick Bevin (NZl) Bmc Racing Team | |
34 | Enrico Barbin (Ita) Bardiani Csf | |
35 | Sylvain Chavanel (Fra) Direct Energie | |
36 | Jay Robert Thomson (RSA) Team Dimension Data | |
37 | Taylor Phinney (USA) Team Ef Education First - Drapac P/B Cannondale | |
38 | Jonathan Mould (GBr) Jlt Condor | |
39 | Thomas Pidcock (GBr) Team Wiggins | |
40 | Ruben Fernandez (Spa) Movistar Team | |
41 | Matthew Holmes (GBr) Madison Genesis | |
42 | Neilson Powless (USA) Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo | |
43 | Stefan Küng (Swi) Bmc Racing Team | |
44 | Fred Wright (GBr) | |
45 | Christopher Hamilton (Aus) Team Sunweb | |
46 | Maximilian Stedman (GBr) Canyon Eisberg | |
47 | Dmitrii Strakhov (Rus) Lokosphinx | |
48 | Bob Jungels (Lux) Quick - Step Floors | |
49 | Jelle Vanendert (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
50 | Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick - Step Floors | |
51 | Matti Breschel (Den) Team Ef Education First - Drapac P/B Cannondale | |
52 | Hugh John Carthy (GBr) Team Ef Education First - Drapac P/B Cannondale | |
53 | Ryan Christensen (NZl) Canyon Eisberg | |
54 | Nils Eekhoff (Ned) Development Team Sunweb | |
55 | Matthew Teggart (Irl) Team Wiggins | |
56 | Jean-Pierre Drucker (Lux) Bmc Racing Team | |
57 | Mads Schmidt Würtz (Den) Team Katusha Alpecin | |
58 | Paul Ourselin (Fra) Direct Energie | |
59 | Scott Davies (GBr) Team Dimension Data | |
60 | Edmund Bradbury (GBr) Jlt Condor | |
61 | Eduardo Sepulveda (Arg) Movistar Team | |
62 | Andrew Tennant (GBr) Canyon Eisberg | |
63 | Victor De La Parte (Spa) Movistar Team | |
64 | Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky | |
65 | Tony Martin (Ger) Team Katusha Alpecin | |
66 | Tejay Van Garderen (USA) Bmc Racing Team | |
67 | Daniel Mclay (GBr) Team Ef Education First - Drapac P/B Cannondale | |
68 | Hayden Mccormick (NZl) One Pro Cycling | |
69 | Giovanni Carboni (Ita) Bardiani Csf | |
70 | Maximiliano Ariel Richeze (Arg) Quick - Step Floors | |
71 | Maarten Wynants (Bel) Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo | |
72 | Alessandro Tonelli (Ita) Bardiani Csf | |
73 | Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Quick - Step Floors | |
74 | Simone Antonini (Ita) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
75 | Cameron Meyer (Aus) Mitchelton - Scott | |
76 | Miles Scotson (Aus) Bmc Racing Team | |
77 | Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky | |
78 | Jens Keukeleire (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
79 | Mikel Nieve Iturralde (Spa) Mitchelton - Scott | |
80 | Mark Mcnally (GBr) Wanty - Groupe Gobert | |
81 | Stephen Williams (GBr) Great Britain | |
82 | Primož Roglic (Slo) Team Lotto Nl - Jumbo | |
83 | Joey Walker (GBr) Team Wiggins | |
84 | Alistair Slater (GBr) Jlt Condor | |
85 | Moreno Hofland (Ned) Lotto Soudal | |
86 | Angelo Tulik (Fra) Direct Energie | |
87 | James Oram (NZl) One Pro Cycling | |
88 | Vasil Kiryienka (Blr) Team Sky | |
89 | Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Direct Energie | |
90 | Rob Power (Aus) Mitchelton - Scott | |
91 | Jaco Venter (RSA) Team Dimension Data | |
92 | James Shaw (GBr) Lotto Soudal | 0:00:35 |
93 | Connor Swift (GBr) Madison Genesis | 0:01:03 |
94 | Roger Kluge (Ger) Mitchelton - Scott | |
95 | Andrea Guardini (Ita) Bardiani Csf | 0:02:36 |
96 | Thomas Baylis (GBr) One Pro Cycling | |
97 | Christopher Latham (GBr) One Pro Cycling | |
98 | Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Team Sunweb | |
99 | Alexandre Pichot (Fra) Direct Energie | |
100 | George Pym (GBr) Madison Genesis | |
101 | Thomas Moses (GBr) Jlt Condor | 0:04:01 |
102 | Lukasz Wisniowski (Pol) Team Sky | 0:04:05 |
103 | Ian Stannard (GBr) Team Sky | |
104 | Alex Paton (GBr) Canyon Eisberg | |
105 | Dexter Gardias (GBr) Canyon Eisberg | |
106 | Nicholas Dlamini (RSA) Team Dimension Data | |
107 | Peter Williams (GBr) One Pro Cycling | |
108 | James Fouche (NZl) Team Wiggins | |
109 | Louis Vervaeke (Bel) Team Sunweb | |
110 | Matthew Bostock (GBr) Great Britain | 0:04:50 |
111 | Rory Townsend (GBr) Canyon Eisberg | 0:04:53 |
112 | Richard Handley (GBr) Madison Genesis | 0:04:55 |
113 | Mark Downey (Irl) Team Wiggins | 0:04:56 |
114 | Erick Rowsell (GBr) Madison Genesis | 0:04:57 |
115 | Iljo Keisse (Bel) Quick - Step Floors | |
116 | Jonathan Mcevoy (GBr) Madison Genesis | |
117 | Lucas Hamilton (Aus) Mitchelton - Scott | |
118 | Graham Briggs (GBr) Jlt Condor | 0:05:48 |
119 | José Fernandes (Por) W52/Fc Porto |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Nicholas Dlamini (RSA) Dimension Data | 13 | pts |
2 | Thomas Moses (GBr) JLT Condor | 10 | |
3 | Julian Alaphilippe (Fra) Quick-Step Floors | 8 | |
4 | Rory Townsend (GBr) Canyon Eisberg | 8 | |
5 | Bob Jungels (Lux) Quick-Step Floors | 7 | |
6 | Richard Handley (GBr) Madison Genesis | 7 | |
7 | Mads Scmidt Wurtz (Den) Katusha-Alpecin | 6 | |
8 | Jonathan Hivert (Fra) Direct Energie | 5 | |
9 | Matthew Bostock (GBr) Great Britain | 5 | |
10 | Mark Downey (Irl) Team Wiggins | 5 | |
11 | Edward Theuns (Bel) Team Sunweb | 4 | |
12 | Jasha Sütterlin (Ger) Movistar Team | 3 | |
13 | Emils Liepens (Lat) One Pro Cycling | 2 | |
14 | George Pym (GBr) Madison Genesis | 2 | |
15 | Wout Poels (Ned) Team Sky | 1 | |
16 | Iljo Keisse (Bel) Quick-Step Floors | 1 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | André Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal | 15 | pts |
2 | Caleb Ewan (Aus) Mitchelton-Scott | 14 | |
3 | Fernando Gaviria (Col) Quick-Step Floors | 13 | |
4 | Gabriel Cullaigh (GBr) Team Wiggins | 12 | |
5 | Jurgen Roelandts (Bel) BMC Racing Team | 11 | |
6 | Andrea Pasqualon (Ita) Wanty-Groupe Gobert | 10 | |
7 | Ethan Hayter (GBr) Great Britain | 9 | |
8 | Paolo Simion (Ita) Bardiani CSF | 8 | |
9 | Matthew Bostock (GBr) Great Britan | 7 | |
10 | Vincenzo Albanese (Ita) Bardiani CSF | 7 | |
11 | Wout Poels (Ned) Team Sky | 6 | |
12 | Romain Cardis (Fra) Direct Energie | 5 | |
13 | Thomas Moses (GBr) JLT Condor | 4 | |
14 | Rory Townsend (GBr) Canyon Eisberg | 4 | |
15 | Sacha Modolo (Ita) EF Education First-Drapac p/b Cannondale | 4 | |
16 | Edward Theuns (Bel) Team Sunweb | 3 | |
17 | Richard Handley (GBr) Madison Genersis | 2 | |
18 | Jasha Sütterlin (Ger) Movistar Team | 2 | |
19 | Scott Thwaites (GBr) Dimension Data | 1 | |
20 | Mark Downey Irl) Team Wiggns | 1 |

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