Tour of Britain Stage 2: Czech champ Vakoc takes solo win and overall lead

Etixx-Quick Step rider attacks from the break and stays clear

Mon, Sep 07, 2015 16:24

Czech national champion Petr Vakoc is the new leader of the Aviva Tour of Britain after winning today’s Stage 2 in Colne with a solo attack from the break.

In the closing kilometres, with Lotto-Soudal leading the charge behind, it was touch and go whether the 23-year-old would hold on to take the 159.3km stage from Clitheroe.

He stayed out alone in front however to win by 7 seconds from Juan Jose Lobato of Movistar, with MTN-Qhubeka’s Edvald Boasson Hagen, a former overall winner of the race, 2 seconds further back.

Vakoc, who despite his youth is in his fourth season with the Belgian WorldTour team, got away from what had been an eight-man breakaway group with around 20 kilometres of the stage remaining.

Also in that group were two riders who featured in the four-strong escape group on yesterday’s opening stage in North Wales – Tom Stewart of Madison-Genesis, who now leads the Skoda KOM competition, and Peter Williams of One Pro Cyling, who takes the YodelDirect sprints jersey.

Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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1 comments

Colin Peyresourde | 8 years ago

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What a great victory. Spring Classic in the Autumn. Great day for racing.

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