The Tour of Britain saw another close finish on stage 3, as Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott) took his second win in three days in Scunthorpe. Norwegian duo Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data) and Alexander Kristoff (Katusha-Alpecin) rounded out the top-three.
An uphill finish had raised questions about whether today would be one for the puncheurs or another for the fast-men, but with so many top quality sprinters at the race, it would take something special to overcome them.
Indeed, the pace-setting by Team Sky, Dimension Data and Katusha almost came to naught as Philippe Gilbert (Quick Step Floors) made his bid for glory as the peloton hit the incline of the final two kilometers. It was a show of strength that signals his form a few weeks ahead of the World Championships, but he would fall short of the victory by 50 meters.
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With Gilbert caught, the race was back in the sprinter's hands, and three emerged with a clear gap over the rest of the peloton. As with stage 1, Ewan had the best line, hugging the barriers to beat Boasson Hagen to the line by a wheel-length.
"I was a bit disappointed after yesterday," Ewan said. "I was boxed in during the sprint so I never got to open up [my sprint]. Luckily the team still backed me 100 per cent, and we rode like we were going for the win straight from the start.
"I didn't know how I would feel [today], and I suffered a little on the climb. When [Philippe] Gilbert went, I had to pretty much go full gas. I was dying in the end and luckily it was enough to hold on."
How it unfolded
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