Boasson Hagen: 'I didn't try to block Viviani. I'm really sorry'

Dimension Data's Edvald Boasson Hagen said that he didn't intend to block Elia Viviani's sprinting line on stage two of the Tour of Britain after he had his win rescinded.

Elia Viviani on stage two of the 2017 Tour of Britain (Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com)

Edvald Boasson Hagen has apologised to Elia Viviani after he was stripped of victory on stage two of the Tour of Britain for dangerous sprinting.

The Dimension Data rider was adjudged to have strayed left into the Team Sky rider’s path at the finish in Blyth, the jury returning their verdict to make Viviani the stage winner more than 45 minutes after the race’s climax and Boasson Hagen having been presented as the stage winner and new race leader on the podium.

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Chris Marshall-Bell

A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and long reads across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013. In 2024 he released a seven-part podcast documentary, Ghost in the Machine, about motor doping in cycling.

Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains. He lives in Valencia, Spain.