00:00Thank you, thank you. We hope you win today.
00:07Do you need a photo?
00:09Oh yes, thank you.
00:11That's brilliant, thanks so much.
00:17For sure I'm happy to be back here and it's always a race that I enjoy.
00:25I don't know, I like it.
00:27It's a quite aggressive type of racing with short climbs,
00:33really full gas effort, narrow roads.
00:38I always like it so I'm looking forward.
00:43Of course I'm super motivated to finish well this season
00:49with a good condition and hopefully with a win.
00:56If it's here it would be nice but also until my last race of the season
01:01I want to give my best like I always did.
01:05Every race now is special for me because I know it's the last one with the team
01:11and I want to just give everything.
01:20Stage one, the Scottish Borders stage of the 2024 Tour of Britain men
01:25and the star quality of double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel of Sudal Quick-Step
01:30leading the peloton over the start line on the longest stage of this edition of the race.
01:36181.9 kilometres from Kelso to Kelso over a sequence of five categorised climbs
01:43and three intermediate sprints.
01:45And for all that there was a big battle to get in the breakaway of the day
01:49with all the rewards on offer for a break that did get away eventually.
01:53Animated by these two riders initially.
01:56Julius Johansen of Saab Colour Anicola and Callum Thornley of Trinity Racing.
02:03They were joined by another rider eventually from the team of Global 6 United.
02:08It was the South African rider Callum Ormiston
02:11who eventually managed to get across a 10 second gap
02:14to make it three riders at the front of the race.
02:16At which point Sudal Quick-Step allowed the breakaway to establish itself
02:22and they nearly got the best part of four minutes as the race calmed down
02:25and took a bit of structure.
02:27Julian Alaphilippe and Remco Evenepoel then putting their team on the front
02:31and controlling the advantage of the breakaway.
02:33Evenepoel resplendent in gold.
02:36Heading towards the top of the first categorised climb of the day, Scott's View.
02:40It was Callum Thornley who attacked a little bit too early perhaps
02:43mistaking the 500 metres to go sign for the top of the climb.
02:47But he recovered and came past Callum Ormiston who had countered him.
02:51Callum Thornley then of Trinity Racing taking the first Cat 3 climb
02:55with four climbs remaining on the day.
02:59Then heading towards the first of three intermediate sprints at Melrose.
03:03It was Johansen of Saab Colour Anicola who took the first sprint.
03:09And Gianni Moscon of Sudal Quick-Step who was controlling the pace back in the peloton.
03:15Callum Thornley then obliterated the opposition
03:17on the second categorised climb of the day to Dingleton.
03:21Racking up by this point ten points in the King of the Mountains.
03:25And then straight on to Dunyon Hill, another Category 2 climb
03:28with another six points on offer for the winner.
03:30And on this hill when Callum Thornley attacked
03:32there was no reaction from Ormiston or indeed from Julius Johansen.
03:36Those two riders then Thornley and Johansen going clear over the top.
03:40And Callum Thornley with an unassailable lead
03:43in the King of the Mountains competition at this point.
03:45But hoping to add to his tally.
03:47Ormiston was then swept up as they headed towards Kelso
03:51and the cobbles of the finishing line for the first passage
03:54at the second intermediate sprint.
03:56That gave the man from the Portuguese team, Johansen,
04:00a big lead in the points competition.
04:03Meanwhile, Gianni Moscon, who'd done his work,
04:05came to grief at the back of the peloton
04:08with a rider from Saint-Pierre and Rowan Baker
04:10and Moscon touching wheels.
04:12As we headed towards the final two climbs then
04:14Ineos Grenadiers and Connor Swift started to animate the race.
04:18Pushing on, trying to pull a group clear, including Julian Alaphilippe.
04:22Remco Evenepoel chasing across to get to the front of the race
04:26as Connor Swift continued to apply the pressure.
04:29Up and over Scott's view for the second time,
04:31Callum Thornley adding another four points
04:33to his King of the Mountains tally.
04:35As the attacking continued behind,
04:37including Remco Evenepoel going on the offensive.
04:40Local rider Oscar Onley from Kelso
04:43also visibly up towards the front in the colours of DSM.
04:46And with the Dingleton climb done,
04:49the Scott's view climb done, I should say,
04:52that was it for Callum Thornley at the front of the race
04:54who sat up, nothing more to gain from him.
04:56That left Johansen to pick up the final ten points
04:59for the last intermediate sprint of the day.
05:01And one climb remaining, it was the Dingleton climb.
05:04That was the signal on the Dingleton climb
05:06for Julian Alaphilippe to light it up
05:08from the very bottom of the climb.
05:10Oscar Onley and Joe Blackmore of Israel Premier Tech going with him.
05:13Further up the climb, Wout Poels attacked
05:15as those groups came together again.
05:17And Remco Evenepoel plus Onley and Blackmore followed that move.
05:20Evenepoel persisting with the attack.
05:23Three kilometre climb, then Tom Pidcock
05:26took them over the top of the last categorised climb
05:29as Joey Roscoff attacked
05:32in the company of Jake Stewart and Remco Evenepoel.
05:34But that attack too was brought back.
05:37A very dynamic ending to the race.
05:39Saw the race in bits, little groups going off the front
05:42and riders coming to grief on a fast and furious descent
05:45towards the finish line in Kelso in the last 20 kilometres.
05:48Then, as they approached the line,
05:51there was a big sprint, an unexpectedly large group
05:54of the best part of 70, 80 riders coming to the line
05:57and Soudal Quick-Step trying to set it up for their man Paul Manier.
06:00Julian Alaphilippe in the final kilometre
06:02getting on the front and stretching things out.
06:04Jake Stewart of Israel Premier Tech then taking over,
06:06riding for his teammate Ethan Vernon on his wheel.
06:09With the rider in third place there, Paul Manier
06:11opening up his sprint first on the cobbles
06:13in the final 100 metres of the run into the line.
06:16And from the moment he hit the front, he was not to be caught again.
06:19The 20-year-old revelation of the sprinting season
06:22from Soudal Quick-Step getting the win.
06:25Ahead of Ethan Vernon, another second place at the Tour of Britain for him.
06:28And a good ride from Bob Donaldson of Trinity Racing
06:31to pick up the bonus seconds in third place
06:34with Tom Pidcock in fourth.
06:37Manier though imperious and with the win on stage one
06:40came the first leaders jersey, the new green leaders jersey
06:43in the Tour of Britain.
06:46Win number three of his first season with his new team,
06:49Soudal Quick-Step, the graduate of the Trinity Racing team.
06:54Leading the general classification by one slender point
06:56from Julius Johansson, Ethan Vernon in third,
06:59Bob Donaldson in fourth and Tom Pidcock who picked up bonus seconds
07:02on the road in fifth place and well placed.
Commentaires