Mike Cuming wins stage five of the Tour of Korea

Defending Tour of Korea champion Mike Cuming (Rapha Condor JLT) scored a victory on stage five of the race on Thursday.

Twenty-four-year-old Cuming was part of a five-man escape group that went clear after the first hour of racing. He then sprinted out of the break to take the stage win, a result all the more impressive given that Cuming only returned to racing three weeks ago after injury.

“I was a bit nervous coming into this race having missed so much racing, and after an OK start to the race I was having a tough time over the last two stages," said Cuming. "I still didn’t feel too great once we got away today, but the group kept pushing on and with 5km to go, when we still had 40 seconds, I started to feel like I had a chance."

"I wasn’t expecting this one today, but I am really happy to take our second stage win here. Moral in the team is high and we are hoping there is more to come."

Cuming's stage win is a continuation of the British Rapha Condor JLT's success in the race, which saw Richard Handley win stage two and take the overall race lead for a spell. Cuming and Handley's team-mate Hugh Carthy currently wears the jersey of best young rider, and sits third overall behind race leader Juan Oroz (Burgos).

The eight-stage UCI 2.1-ranked Tour of Korea concludes on Sunday, June 15.

Photos by Tour de Korea/Aaron Lee

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