Mathieu van der Poel moved into the OVO Energy Tour of Britain lead on Wednesday after winning stage four from Gateshead atop Kendal’s famed Beast Banks climb.

The 24-year-old Dutchman attacked from a reduced peloton 200m up the gruelling Cumbrian finishing climb, crossing the line three seconds ahead of his nearest challengers Jasper de Buyst (Lotto Soudal) and Simon Clarke (EF Education First).

While overnight race leader Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-SCOTT) placed ninth on the stage, van der Poel’s 10-second time bonus for his stage victory moved the Corendon – Circus Cycling Team rider into the OVO Energy green jersey at the race’s halfway point.

Trentin retains his lead in the Cetaphil points jersey, however, while Jake Scott (SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling) and Rory Townsend (Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes) kept hold of the SKODA King of the Mountains and Eisberg Sprints jerseys respectively.

Van der Poel sits one second ahead of Trentin on the general classification, with de Buyst a further six seconds in arrears, while a further 12 riders sit within 20 seconds of the race lead. The Corendon Circus rider believes that Worcestershire’s time trial stage on Thursday will be key to the overall victory.

An exciting stage that had begun from the south bank of the River Tyne in Gateshead was lit up early on by aggressive riding by Team INEOS duo Eddie Dunbar and Dylan van Baarle, with the latter clinching the Wahooligan Combativity Award for his ride. 

However it was a different three man breakaway that had really enlivened proceedings, going clear on the final SKODA King of the Mountains climb at Gawthrop above Dentdale after a diminished peloton had come back together.

The attack of Lotto Soudal rider Tiesj Benoot triggered the move, but it was home rider James Shaw (Swift Carbon Pro Cycling) who went away along with Ben Hermans (Israel Cycling Academy) and Tony Gallopin (AG2R La Mondiale) building a small lead that never looked enough.

That ultimately proved to be so at the foot of Beast Banks climb, as the moment that many cycling fans watching were waiting for as van der Poel unleashed his sprint in dominant fashion.

Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen made light work of an uphill finish to sprint to his second stage victory on this year’s OVO Energy Tour of Britain in three days in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on Monday.

The Team Jumbo – Visma Cycling rider crossed the line comfortably ahead of pre-stage favourite Mathieu van der Poel (Corendon – Circus), Davide Cimolai (Israel Cycling Academy) and team-mate Mike Teunissen following the 500-metre uphill drag at the end of the stage from Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-SCOTT) placed fifth to retain the OVO Energy green jersey and Cetaphil Points jersey going into Tuesday’s fourth stage.

The race being held briefly at a level crossing had threatened to give a six rider breakway, containing Harry Tanfield (Team KATUSHA ALPECIN), Rory Townsend (Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes), Jacob Scott (Swift Carbon Pro Cycling), Rob Scott (Team WIGGINS Le Col) and Belgian due Dries de Bondt (Corendon Circus) and Christophe Noppe (Sport Vlaanderen Baloise) their head.  When racing resumed Mitchelton-SCOTT and Team Jumbo – Visma worked to bring them back, finally succeeding as the race hit the Newcastle Quayside with one kilometre remaining.

Cimolai’s top three position marginally reduced Trentin’s overnight lead to seven seconds, with van der Poel and Jasper De Buyst (Lotto Soudal) a further four seconds in arrears.

While there was disappointment to not see one of the four domestic riders taking the victory in front of Newcastle city centre’s big crowds, fans did help vote Tanfield the winner of the day’s Wahooligan Combativity award, in what is the most local stage for the North Yorkshireman.

In the Eisberg Sprints competition Rory Townsend reclaimed the red jersey, while built what is a commanding lead in the SKODA King of the Mountains competition, now 13 points clear of nearest challenger De Bondt.

Dutchman Dylan Groenewegen returned to the OVO Energy Tour of Britain in style on Saturday, winning the opening stage of the 2019 race between Glasgow and Kirkcudbright in Scotland.

Groenewegen, a two-time stage winner in the event, beat Davide Cimolai (Israel Cycling Academy) and former European champion Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-SCOTT) to the line in the Dumfries & Galloway market town after a textbook lead-out from his Jumbo – Visma Cycling team-mates.

He takes the OVO Energy green jersey of race leader going into Sunday’s second stage in the Scottish Borders.

Team Jumbo Visma had worked tirelessly on the front of the peloton throughout the stage south from Glasgow city centre, with little assistance from other teams.  Their work kept the day’s breakaway pinned with never more than a two minute advantage, as Rory Townsend (Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes), James Fouche (Team WIGGINS Le Col), Jacob Scott (Swift Carbon Pro Cycling) and Dries de Bondt (Corendon Circus) toiled in the warm Scottish sunshine on the race’s longest day.

Consolation for Townsend was the Eisberg Sprints jersey, Wahooligan Combativity Award and a position second in the general classification thanks to time bonuses, three seconds behind Groenewegen.

Rory Townsend Sprint & Combativity Jersey – Stage 1 ToB 2019 by Cycling Shorts

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Jacob Scott led the race over all three SKODA King of the Mountains climbs to take the best climbers jersey, already with a five point advantage on fellow escapee James Fouche.

Stage Two takes in 165 kilometres of the picturesque Scottish Borders, starting and finishing in Kelso’s main cobbled square, passing through Coldstream, Duns and Melrose during the day.