This 200km flat stage across the agricultural lands of East Anglia looked perfect for a bunch finish. It took over 90km of racing before the peleton finally allowed a break to go. Schildge (Jamis) and former Paris-Roubaix winner Backstedt (Team UK Youth) were the lucky riders allowed to escape.
Backstedt and Schildge get some valuable TV time for their sponsors
Back in the bunch, the big boys of Sky and Orica controlled affairs, seemingly to tee up Boasson-Hagen and Kruopis later on.
Sky and Orica led the chase
With 10km remaining, the break still had 45 seconds. Sky forced the pace, with Raleigh moving to the front to organise its sprint train.
Sky seek to close the break's small advantage at 10km to go
The break was quickly swept up. Strangely, Sky then decided their work was done and disappeared from the front of the peloton. Orica were also strangely absent. Raleigh took the opportunity to put its sprint train into action. Brown (MTN) and Downing (Endura) were neatly placed on Briggs' wheel.
Raleigh were at the head of affairs with 5km to go
With 2km to, Brown decided to go early, launching himself ahead of the Raleigh train with Blythe (BMC) following his move.
Brown and Blythe make the first move in the sprint
Under the red kite, Brown was beginning to fade and it was now Blythe who had his nose in front. Sieberg (Lotto), Furlan (Christina Watches), Huff (Jelly Belly) and Hunt (Sky) all lurked ready to pounce behind, with Sulzberger and Briggs placed in around 6th and 7th.
Blythe hits the front with 1km to go
Blythe had also gone too early and was going backwards with 500m left. Huff, on the left hand side of the road, now had the lead, with Hunt, Farrar and Sieberg behind him. Downing was coming up fast on the right side with Von Hoff in his wheel. Briggs a little further back but moving very quickly after coming out from behind Sulzberger's wheel.
Too close to call with 500m to go
Downing proved to be the strongest, taking the win and the overall lead. Briggs put in a remarkable turn of speed to burst through an opening in the middle of the road to take second place. So close to a perfect start for Raleigh. Huff was third.
@francoppell & sutty68 - thank guys. I even think if Briggs had gone sooner it could even have won it, the speed he crossed the line at. Still, more than we could have expected in stage 1
Tour of Britain
Stage 2
Stage 2 was a hillier affair than the first stage but the hills came early enough to make it another likely sprint stage. With Briggs just 8 seconds down on GC, a challenge for the overall lead was not out of the question. Would Orica, Sky and Garmin do a better job of setting up their sprinters today after their virtual non-showing yesterday?
A break of five got away early in the stage. IG-Sigma's Daniel Lloyd was probably the most dangerous of the escapees.
The break on Stage 2
This time it was Rapha Condor and Jamis who were doing the work to bring the break back. Perhaps their sprinters Clancy and Huff were feeling good today.
Rapha and Jamis did the work in the bunch today
With 14km to go, a crash in the peloton brought down the yellow jersey Russell Downing and a number of his team-mates. Cruel fortune for the overall leader in his home tour. Despite the best efforts of his team, he was unable to rejoin the pack. Worse luck was to affect GC favourite Wiggins, who was injured and forced to abandon the race.
Downing and Wiggins were both caught up in a nasty crash with 14km to go
Still, this event meant that Briggs was the virtual leader on the road as the bunch swept up the break with 9km remaining. Raleigh hit the front of the bunch in an effort to set up Briggs to win further bonus seconds.
[img]Raleigh and Rapha go head to head with 5km left[/img]
With 2.5km left however, it was the Rapha team that seemed to have the strongest lead out, aiming to set up Clancy, with Blythe sitting pretty at the end of their train. Kruopis meanwhile was on Briggs' wheel.
Rapha's sprint train had the edge today
Under the 1km banner Blythe was once again at the front. Radochla (NSP) was to his left. To his right with Grenda (Rapha), leading out Clancy, Furlan and Van Hoff. Sulzberger was leading out the green jersey Briggs a little further behind but both riders were fast running out of energy. Once again, the big teams were nowhere to be seen.
Blythe at the front again, 1km to go
Furlan came through strongest to take the stage and the yellow jersey. Clancy finished off a fine lead out from the Rapha train to take second, with Orica's Kruopis finishing fast to take third.
Furlan takes the victory on Stage 2
Briggs ran out of legs and finished 16th. Not a great ride today, but he is still only 8 seconds down, so could yet pull on yellow in this Tour. Spare a thought too for the yellow jersey Russell Downing who rolled in 7 minutes down after his crash.
As the Tour of Britain moved into Scotland, this was likely to be another day for the sprinters, especially things remaining so tight in the overall classification.
The stage begun with a familiar format. A break of five got away...
Five riders escaped to enjoy some TV time on Stage 3
...while two teams (Orica and Rapha) combined behind to reel the break back in. The catch was made with 8km to go. Raleigh once again formed a strong sprint train, this time determined to set up Briggs to grab some all important bonus seconds.
Raleigh's train was once again at the front of the action
Once again however it was the Rapha train looking strongest with 3km to go. Orica lurked dangerously on the back of Clancy's wheel, while Boasson-Hagen made a first appearance in the sprint reckoning, find Briggs' wheel at the end of the Raleigh train.
Rapha once again had the strongest sprint train
Boasson Hagen launched his sprint unbelievably early and was still leading as the bunch headed under the red kite. Furlan (in yellow) and MTN's Brown were just behind him with a whole host of sprinters lining up across the road behind.
Boasson Hagen sees the front for the first time this race
Boasson Hagen, Furlan and Brown all ran out of steam. With 500m to go there were still around 20 sprinters fighting it out for the win (photo missing unfortunately). Briggs was there and looking strong but blocked and couldn't find his way through the congestion.
In the end it was Exergy's Rodriguez who triumphed out of the crowd, with Sky's Thomas a surprise second and Kruopis taking another third. Suzlberger was Raleigh's best finisher in 11th with Briggs in 17th.
Fernandez took a crowded sprint on Stage 4
Furlan meanwhile retained yellow, with Briggs still just 8 seconds back. Could tomorrow be his day?
Stage 4 into Blackpool was the final truly flat stage of the race. Perhaps a last chance for Briggs to stake a claim for yellow?
With no break allowed to go clear early on in the stage, Furlan and Kruopis took the opportunity to snaffle up some valuable bonus seconds, placing first and second in the first sprint of the day.
Furlan increases his lead on the road, taking the first intermediate sprint
Not long after, Horton broke clear of the peloton. Perhaps Raleigh didn't have complete confidence in Briggs today after his poor showings in the last two stages?
Horton pleases the sponsors with a solo break
He was later joined by four other riders but once again the break was doomed, with Rapha and Orica again reeling in the escapees and then setting their sprint trains in motion.
Rapha and Orica attempt to tee up their sprinters with 5km to go
There was no Raleigh train this time around as the team got caught hopelessly out of position. With 1km left, it was Brown in front attempting another long one, closely followed Hunt (Sky). Boassen Hagen was in third, while Sulzberger was leading out Briggs on the far side but both were tiring after being forced to sprint from a long way back.
Brown leads under the banner
After timing his sprint wrongly yesterday, there was no mistake today, as Boasson Hagen took the stage win. Brown held on for second, with Kruopis in third yet again. Briggs could only manage 16th.
Previous Tour of Britain winner Boasson Hagen takes Stage 4
Kruopis took over the yellow jersey, with Boasson Hagen looking dangerous in third. Briggs dropped down to 8th, 18 seconds back.
Starting and finishing in Stoke, Stage 5 was the toughest stage of the race so far. Deemed a 'flat' stage, a series of tough little climbs in the latter half of the race, combined with an uphill finish promised to make things very hard for the sprinters.
On yet another sunny day, eleven riders made it into the break, including Raleigh's Holohan. Clearly many teams saw this stage as one with real potential for an escape to succeed. Koldo Fernandez (Garmin) looked like the most dangerous rider in the break.
Holohan was one of eleven riders to make the break on Stage 5
Holohan made a bid for the mountain points today and did enough to take the overall lead in the competition by the end of the stage.
Back in the bunch, the hills caused the peloton to split into several groups. A select lead group of 34 riders formed over the last of the major hills. It included Briggs and Oliphant, as well as Kruopis, Boasson Hagen, Evans, Voeckler and Thomas but other riders like Clancy and Farrar were caught out.
The peloton split into pieces over the hills
Raleigh saw this as opportunity to make some gains on GC and pushed the pace at the front of the lead group. Horton and Holloway did the work.
Raleigh were keen to make the advantage stick for the lead group
With the gap to the group behin stretching to over five minutes, Raleigh sat up to give the break a fighting chance. The escape group was now down to three riders: Holohan, Fernandez and Vanbilsen (An Post).
Holohan, Fernandez and Vanbilsen had a lead of just over a minute with 15km to go
Their lead was down to 38 seconds with 5.5km remaining but the catch was eventually made with 3km left, with Orica leading the charge.
The catch is made with just over 3km to go
As the lead group sped towards the uphill finish, Orica remained on the front, Kruopis third in line, with Boasson Hagen on his wheel, closely followed by Briggs.
Orica lead out the sprint
As the road started to rise, Boasson Hagen and Kruopis slugged it out for the race win.
Boasson Hagen versus Kruopis
Boasson Hagen won the contest to take his second victory in a row. Kruopis was second with Ghyllebert (An Post) in third. Briggs finished an improved 7th, with Hampton showing his good form with 10th.
Hagen again
Kruopis held on to yellow, but now level on time with Boasson Hagen with some serious hills to follow in the next two stages. Briggs meanwhile went back up to 4th overall.
@Ian Butler & sutty68: I think after the first stage we got a bit complacent. Things have got a lot harder since so Holohan's KOM jersey is a nice consolation so far!
Tour of Britain
Stage 6
This was to be the toughest stage of the race so far. The stage crossed the Brecon Beacons before two short sharp ascents of Caerphilly Mountain which were sure to shake up the GC order.
The stage started with yet more sunshine, surely a record for the UK?! A group of eight hopefuls formed a break. Holohan tried, but failed, to join them to defend him polka dot jersey. Thankfully none of the eight escapees were a serious threat to his mountains lead.
The break heads off to the Brecon Beacons
Sky and BMC led the chase and brought the break back before the race reached Caerphilly Mountain. The first ascent caused the bunch to split to pieces but all the favourites remained in the lead group. Oliphant, Holohan and Hampton were all there too, although they were struggling to remain towards the front. On the final ascent, Voeckler, Evans and House (Rapha) attacked.
Attacks on the final ascent of Caerphilly Mountain as the grey skies roll in
Over the top of the climb a lead group of four riders formed: Voeckler, Evans and House were joined by Boasson Hagen.
Four riders were clear as they descended down Caerphilly Mountain
With 2.5km remaining, the leading four had 24 seconds on Rodriguez (Exergy). Hansen (Lotto) was a further 30 seconds back just in front of a group of around a dozen chasers. Hampton was Raleigh's best placed rider nearly two minutes behind a trying hard to catch the group in front.
Unsurprisingly, Boasson Hagen beat Evans, Voeckler and House in the sprint to take a hatrick of stage victories and move into yellow. Voeckler too second with Evans third.
EBH makes it three wins in three stages
Hampton came in 1'46" down on Boasson Hagen in 20th place. Holohan, Briggs and Oliphant came in 2'27" behind. Raleigh's GC hopes were seemingly dashed. Hampton finished as the team's best-placed rider, lying 14th 2'48" down. On a brighter note however, Holohan retained the polka dot jersey.
@Ian Butler: thanks dude, I was quite pleased with that one too
Tour of Britain
Stage 7
The penultimate stage of the race was another tough hilly affair. The stage went across the hills of Dartmoor and included a couple of uncategorised ascents just before the run into Dartmouth.
After a disappointing day yesterday, Raleigh were determined to get something out of the stage today and sent Oliphant - now 3'29" down on GC - into the break.
Would a break finally work today?
Oliphant fought to defend Holohan's KOM lead but couldn't quite do enough to prevent Potgieter (MTN) edging five points clear of Holohan by the end of the stage. The break made good progress and had a three minute lead as they went under the 20km to go banner.
But the gap closed quickly and they were caught up the second-to-last hill. Voeckler saw this as his chance to put some time into Boasson Hagen and attacked over the top of the climb.
Voeckler attacks
Boasson Hagen and Evans reeled him back and it was altogether again as they reached the final climb. Oliphant showed there was more life in him yet by launching an attack, pulling Evans with him and opening up a 20 second lead on the chasers.
Oliphant and Evans open up a lead on the final climb
As the rode down into Dartmouth with just over 3km left, Oliphant and Evans retained a slender lead over a chasing group of three riders made up of Boasson Hagen, Voeckler and Bauer. Just 24 seconds further back, Hampton had joined Rodriguez and Downing in a second chase group over 30 seconds clear of the pack.
The Boasson Hagen trio caught Oliphant and Evans in the last two kilometres and as the five went under the red kite, it was no surprise to see Boasson Hagen heading the sprint for the line.
Boasson Hagen led the sprint with 1km to go
He was once again unbeatable, securing an incredible fourth stage win a row and consolidating his overall lead. Evans came in second, with Voeckler third, while Oliphant was a fine fifth, finishing on the same time.
Boasson Hagen does it yet again
Rodriguez, Downing and Hampton came in 56 seconds later to complete a fine day for Raleigh. Today's performances saw Oliphant move up to seventh overall with Hampton eighth.
@Ian Butler & sutty68 - thanks guys. I was really pleased with Oliphant and Hampton's performances. They may have saved our Tour!
Tour of Britain
Stage 8
The final stage of the Tour was held in the lanes of Surrey. It was another lumpy one, but nothing near as tough as the previous two stages. Still, it was hilly enough to give an escape group hope that it might succeed and also had enough KOM points on offer to make the mountains competition all to play for. If it came down to a sprint, the uphill finish would prove a challenge to the pure sprinters.
After fine weather throughout the week, the heavens finally opened today. Holohan got straight to work in the race for the mountain competition, making it into the break and taking the first KOM. His rival, Potgieter, was left back in the bunch.
Holohan was determined to win back the polka dot jersey
Holohan's efforts paid off, and he picked up enough points throughout the day to win the overall mountains prize.
Holohan in the mix again for more mountains points
Sky were obviously keen for a fifth straight stage victory and caught the break with 10km left. Holohan unselfishly used the last of his energy to lead out his Raleigh team mates.
With 4km left, he had Oliphant, Sulzberger and Briggs in his wheel, while Hampton was neatly positioned on Boasson Hagen's wheel as a Plan B.
It was Raleigh versus Sky going into the finale
Holohan peeled off and with 2km to go, Raleigh had the edge on the rest of the field, with Oliphant opening up the sprint for Sulzberger and Briggs.
Oliphant opens up the sprint
Under the red kite and it was neck and neck again between Raleigh and Sky. Thomas and Hunt (right of picture) were level with Sulzberger and Briggs (middle), while Huff and Boasson Hagen were a little further back in the left.
All to play for with 1km to go
Thomas came through strongest to take a fifth win for Sky. Hunt was second, while Briggs took an excellent third on the tricky uphill finish to take his second podium of the Tour. Sulberger held on for 7th.
Thomas wins in Guildford
There was no change in GC. Boasson Hagen retained yellow, with Oliphant and Holohan retaining seventh and eight respectively. Holohan, meanwhile, bagged another mountains prize for Raleigh.
A great result!
The fact that the team's fighting Sky for the lead-out is a credit to how strong the team is.
Good job here, going home with the KoM jersey, two top 10 places and many top 10 finishes!
Thanks guys - really pleased with our Tour. As you say, two podiums, a KOM jersey and two top 10 places overall can't be bad for a little team like Raleigh
Transfer announcement #4
Shortly after the Tour of Britain, Raleigh announced their final signings for the 2013 season.
Marek Ruzin
Marek Ruzin is a young Slovak who has just won the Tour de l'Avenir. He has shown enormous prowess in the mountains at U23 level and will enter his first season as a pro as Raleigh's lead climber such is his talent (and the team's lack of climbing strength!).
Daniel Lloyd
Veteran Brit all-rounder Daniel Lloyd is the final piece of the Raleigh team jigsaw for 2013. He joins from IG-Sigma and will provide important experience to a young squad. He has enough talent to be a contender himself in some of the minor races and will play the role of team captain more often than not.
