TOUR OF BRITAIN
STAGE FIVE
"WE KNEW THIS STAGE WOULD BE DECISIVE, WITH THE WINNER ALMOST CERTAINLY TAKING THE GREEN JERSEY. ROGLIC IS NOW THE MAN TO BEAT."
YANTO BARKER
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LottoNL-Jumbo blew away the competition in today's team time trial, catapulting their leader, Primoz Roglic, into the lead of the OVO Tour of Britain. Patrick Bevin's BMC team shipped 40 seconds and relinquished the green jersey.
The hilly course, finishing atop Whinlatter Pass in the Lake District, proved too much for some teams – with several elite WorldTour riders being distanced by their own teams at points.
By comparison, LottoNL managed to finish with one more than the required four riders, and a full 16 seconds ahead of their next closest rivals, Quick-Step Floors.
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It was Team Sunweb, the current World Champions in the TTT, who made the early running. Seventh off the start ramp, they brought it home in a time of 20:42.
That time, while impressive, was eclipsed by Team Sky's 20:03, placing the British outfit firmly in the hotseat.
Katusha-Alpecin were the first team to break the 20-minute mark, thanks in large part to the work of specialists Alex Dowsett and Tony Martin. Their time of 19:57, however, was soon beaten by Quick-Step (19:53) and LottoNL–Jumbo, eventual winners on 19:36.
Team WIGGINS performed admirably, starting one man down after the withdrawal of Joey Walker. The Continental squad came home in 14th place.
Roglic will wear green tomorrow, with an advantage of 6 seconds on Julian Alaphilippe (Quick-Step), 16 seconds on Bob Jungels (Quick-Step) and 24 seconds on Bevin. Sky's Wout Poels is on 26 seconds, and Mitchelton-Scott's best placed rider, Cam Meyer is at 42 seconds.
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There were no changes in the Wahoo Points, Eisberg Sprints or Skoda King of the Mountains jerseys today, which means they stay with their respective owners. Nic Dlamini holds onto the
Tomorrow the race stays in the Lake District and we have our first summit finish of the race, which will come at the second of two killer ascents of Whinlatter Pass.
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