Stannard flies solo as he powers to stage win
Team Sky’s Ian Stannard claimed a superb solo victory in the Tour of Britain’s third stage in Cheshire.
The 29-year-old Englishman, one of Chris Froome’s key lieutenants at the Tour de France, got into a small breakaway group soon after the race left the start in Congleton and then powered away on his own with 40 kilometres to go.
He eventually came home almost two minutes clear of Graham Briggs of the Jlt-condor team and ONE Pro Cycling’s Kristian House, with the peloton crossing the finish in Knutsford’s Tatton Park almost six minutes down.
Belgium’s Julien Vermote, the winner of Monday’s gruelling second stage, retains the overall lead as Stannard lost more than 13 minutes to the Ettix-quickstep rider in the Lake District.
Vermote was quick to thank his team-mates for helping him defend his lead after the 179km stage, including Ireland’ s Birmingham-born Dan Martinwho remains third overall, just 64 seconds behind. The pair are separated by Steve Cummings, the Team Dimension Data rider who is six seconds down.
It was a first win of the season for the Essexborn Stannard, the 2012 national road champion who is more often seen doing long, painful turns at the front of the pack for Froome but did collect podium finishes at E3 Harelbeke and Paris-roubaix this year.
Stannard said: “I was pretty motivated for the day and it’s always nice to win solo from a breakaway – it was a big day.”
Today’s fourth stage, the race’s longest at 217km, goes from north to south through mid-wales from Denbigh to Builth Wells.