Gorging on success
France’s ‘rock star’ wins Cheddar Gorge stage
A spectacular day’s riding, starting and ending in Bristol and taking in a loop of the Mendips including an ascent of Cheddar Gorge, ended with a spectacular winner. Julian Alaphilippe, one of the rock stars of the pro peloton, finally did what he has been threatening to do all week, winning stage three thanks to his unique combination of climbing and finishing power.
The Quickstep-floors rider – fresh from his polka-dot success at last month’s Tour de France – profited from an excellent lead-out from his team-mate, Luxembourg’s national champion Bob Jungels, on the windy run-in to the finish on the Clifton Downs, jumping on to the wheel of Mads Wurtz Schmidt (Katusha-alpecin) with 500metres remaining.
Having gone so close on stages one and two, making the most of late ascents to launch a bid for a breakaway victory, it was just reward for Alaphilippe’s attacking verve. The Frenchman now lies third on general classification, just two seconds behind the new race leader, Kiwi Patrick Bevin (BMC).
Alaphilippe said it had not been his intention to go for GC this week, adding that he was surprised by how good he was feeling after the Tour and San Sebastian. His main aim is to build form for the UCI Road World Championships this month.
“It’s my first time [at the Tour of Britain] so I’m really happy,” he said. “We’ve been trying [to win a stage] since the start of the race but my team were really strong today. All day on the front. We were in a good situation in the final [run-in] and Bob did a really good lead-out.
“The GC was not my goal when I arrived here but I take day after day and now I’m in a good situation.
“I’m surprised to be active in the race, especially in the final. But I really like the roads here.”
The 128-kilometre stage took a while to get going, with break after break being reeled in. Eventually an escapee group of four – instigated by time-trial specialist Tony Martin (Katusha-alpecin) – got away, gaining a minute-long gap with 60km remaining. By then the peloton had been through Cheddar Gorge, the impressive limestone formation in Somerset, where fans lined the second category climb.
The breakaway was absorbed into the peloton with 10km left, with the Great Britain team work- ing hard on the front, trying to set up rising star Ethan Hayter for the win. Hayter, 19, claimed world gold and Commonwealth silver in the team pursuit this year, but he is an engine on the road, too, and he declared himself disappointed with his fourth place at the finish.
“Sprinting against Alaphilippe there was pretty special,” he said, “But I’m a bit disappointed. You can never be that happy with fourth. I felt like I wasn’t far off winning. I was a bit in the wind, but I guess it was the same for everyone.”
Quickstep-floors also won the sprint on stage 10 of the Vuelta a Espana. Elia Viviani beat Peter Sagan to the line in Salamanca, with Briton Simon Yates (Mitcheltonscott) safely retaining the red jersey of the race leader. Yates leads Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde by a second in the overall standings.