Steve Cummings (Dimension Data) was forced to settle for second place on stage 2 of the Tour of Britain but moved into an excellent position in the fight for the overall.
The Dimension Data leader lost out to Julien Vermote (Etixx-QuickStep) on a brutally tough day of racing, conceding a handful seconds to the Belgian on the steep rise to the finish in Kendal. However, with a time trial coming late in the race, as well as summit finish to Haytor, the Tour de France stage winner gained almost a minute on a group containing Tony Gallopin (Lotto Soudal) and Tom Dumoulin (Giant Alpecin).
"Obviously I was going for the stage from the start but with who I was with, the best option was to then gain time on the others. I was racing for time in the end rather than the stage," Cummings told Cyclingnews at the finish.
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The stage from Carlisle began with a 15-rider break escaping from the bunch. Vermote, who last tasted victory back in 2014 at this very race, was part of the move but Cummings and several rivals countered and caught the remnants of the early move on the appropriately-titled ascent of The Struggle.
Cummings made a bid for glory over the top of the summit but was brought back by Rohan Dennis (BMC). However, when Daniel Martin attacked Cummings was on him in a flash. Vermote matched the acceleration with Martin dropping back to leave the pair at the head of the race.
The two riders held talks before working together in order to distance the chase that was led by Team Sky, who had two men working to peg them back. Cummings carried out the majority of the work with Vermote pitching in at several points.
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