Blue skies and white clouds welcome the riders in England, as they prepare to take on some hard cobbles in a hard race.
Favourites
Name
FL
RE
CO
SP
Spengler
74
73
83
62
Pedersen
77
80
83
78
Wisniowski
79
75
82
72
Per
79
75
82
74
Van Hooydonck
73
74
82
61
Altur
75
70
82
72
Senechal
75
74
82
69
Gerts
77
80
82
72
Teunissen
76
73
81
67
Kamyshev
76
74
81
65
Anderberg
78
76
80
60
Six riders get the jump on the pack to form the break of the day - Kurianov, Kung, Ballerini, Salazar, Van Zyl and
Finkst.
The break would get a maximum gap of 4'30".
There were some punctures and splits in the first couple of cobbled sections but all the favourites were safe.
With 100 km to go, Assa Abloy, Tinkoff, Grieg, EA Vesuvio and Rabobank are all chasing. Their deficit is 2'40". 128 riders are left in the pack.
Finkst is dropped with 75 km to go. Ballerini is dropped soon after.
The two dropped riders are caught 5 km later.
Kurianov, Van Zyl and Salazar is caught with 65 km to go. The peloton is down to 92, with all the favourites still here.
Three riders attack out of the pack a few kilometers later - Ovsyannikov, Vermeersch and Boros. They catch and pas Kung, the last surviving rider from the break.
Kung is caught with 55 km to go. The three new leaders have built up a nearly 2 minute advantage!
Ovsyannikov is dropped from the break and caught with 45 km to go. The leaders have 27 seconds over the pack, which is down to 40 riders.
Boros is caught with 43 km to go.
Wisniowski attacks, catches and passes Vermeersch.
Sulimov and Gaday are the biggest names dropped.
Vermeersch is caught with 38 km to go. The peloton has swelled back up to 71 riders. Wisniowski has a lead of 26 seconds.
Senechal is dropped with 32 km to go. Kamyshev is dropping back to help his team leader.
Wisniowski is caught with 26 km to go.
There are major splits now with 20 km to go. The first group has Anderberg and Tiller, leading a group having Per, Altur, Siric, Spengler, Polanc, Theuns and Ferreira by a few seconds.
The third group consists of Wisniowski, Gerts, Teunissen, Van Hooydonck and Neilands.
The first two groups come together two kilometers later. Wisniowski has been dropped from the next group while Pedersen has made the jump.
The current third group is made up of Senechal, Wisniowski, Van den Berg, Salzmann,
Schreurs, Girmay, Garcia Cortina, Ulloa and Ariesen.
The Anderberg/ Per and the Gerts groups come together with 16 km to go.
Per and Spengler attack with 14 km to go. Tiller, Polanc and Wisniowski have been dropped.
Pedersen and Van Hooydonck also attack a couple of kilometers later. They catch up to the earlier duo.
Teunissen also does the same with 10 km left. Ferreira is now dropped from the chase group.
Teunissen is immediately dropped a kilometer later. Theuns is dropped by the chase group.
Teunissen is caught by the chase group in another kilometer.
Per attacks from the lead group with 7 km to go.
The chase group of three trail by 23 seconds with 5 km remaining. The next group of six is at 4 seconds.
The gap has pretty stayed the same for Per as reaches the final 1500 meters.
The gap is up to 28 seconds for the second group with a kilometer to go.
500 meters. 20 seconds. The gap is coming down but it is probably too late! Pedersen has accelerated from the chase group, with Van Hooydonck following. Spengler can't manage to do the same.
Per wins it in style and with comfort!
Pedersen takes 2nd with Van Hooydonck in 3rd.
Spengler is 4th.
Then it's a dash for 5th, with Anderberg edging out Siric, Altur and Gerts, in that order.
Teunissen is 9th.
Polanc gets 10th.
Theuns is 11th.
Ferreira holds off Tiller for 12th.
Neilands is 14th.
Senechal completes the Top 15.
Today's winner - David Per.
An excellent late attack, on the flats no less, gives Per a resounding win in GB. Pedersen was too strong for the others in the closing stages to take 2nd, while Van Hooydonck rounds out the podium. Spengler and Anderberg complete the Top 5.
