Ian Stannard says he used home advantage to take solo stage glory at Tour of Britain
The Sky man powered to victory in Tatton Park on stage three and says that his knowledge of the roads played into his hands
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Ian Stannard admitted he played to his home advantage to take the solo victory on stage three of the Tour of Britain in Cheshire, as the stage covered roads where the Sky rider lives and trains.
The 29-year-old lives in Cheshire and admitted knowing the roads and climbs so well gave him the extra edge as well as the motivation to challenge for the win, his first in the Tour of Britain. Stannard was part of a four-man breakaway that went almost straight from the start, but attacked with 40-kilometres to go and rode alone to the finish.
“I was motivated to get in the break, I’ve been living on these roads since I was 18,” he said. “I didn’t expect the break to go quite so easily.”
Stannard was part of an all-British, four-man breakaway alongside Matt Cronshaw (Madison-Genesis), Kristian House (One Pro) and Graham Briggs (JLT-Condor). The riders amassed a gap up to seven minutes, as the peloton was reluctant to mount a chase.
“We [Sky] are going for stage wins and I think we knew there was a bit of a chance of the breakaway staying away today with the climbs and the sprinters not quite sure how hard they are,” Stannard said.
“I rode quite hard quite early to try and establish that gap because I knew Jack Bauer [Cannondale-Drapac] was behind [trying to bridge across]. He’s fairly close on GC still so I didn’t really want him in the group.”
The 182km stage featured three categorised climbs, with the last - the Cat and Fiddle – the most challenging of the three. Cronshaw was the first of the four to get dropped before Stannard attacked Briggs and House on the Cat and Fiddle climb.
“I kind of felt it a little bit when we got on the climbs,” Stannard continued. “I thought I’ll go early and keep hitting them to try and break them up a bit.
“I went away straight away, so I just committed. Obviously I know the descents quite well as well so I tried to take a good advantage of that and got a good gap.
“You know how hard the climbs are and how to judge your efforts a bit more, certainly the blind corners you know how fast you can take them and that’s a big advantage.”
The win was Stannard’s first victory since he won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in February 2015 and is his first on what is his eighth start in his home tour. He attempted a solo breakaway at the race in 2008 on stage two from Milton Keynes to Newbury, but was caught with 15km to go.
“It’s nice, there was massive crowds out today and it was nice to do a really good ride,” he said.
The Sky rider will next race at the Eneco Tour before targeting a place in Great Britain’s squad for the Road World Championships in Qatar.
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
-
-
CW Live: Nairo Quintana to ride Colombian National Championships; State goes carbon; Tom Pidcock's 2023 road programme; British Cycling announce squad for upcoming UEC European Track Championships; Are Giant about to launch the 2023 Revolt X gravel bike?
All the need to know news in cycling this Monday
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Sven Nys says Tom Pidcock skipping cyclo-cross World title defence ‘makes sense’
‘An effort to win in Hoogerheide will cost so much’ says Belgian cyclocross legend on a course that favours Pidcock's rivals
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Global backers in talks over new British WorldTour team
Former management of Ribble Weldtite courting interest in new project
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
'I remember the crowds more than anything': Tom Pidcock recalls his Alpe d'Huez Tour de France stage win
Our male rider of the year, Tom Pidcock, talks us through the highs and lows of his 2022 campaign
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Leo Hayter, Cycling Weekly's rising star of 2022, talks through his season in the spotlight
We caught up with the winner of the "Baby Giro" to hear all about the win in Italy and his dream move to Ineos Grenadiers
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Ineos Grenadiers release 'visibly fast' 2023 jersey
Navy is replaced with red as British team changes its look
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Where next for Mark Cavendish after B & B Hotels-KTM's collapse?
We look at where the ‘Manx Missile’ could find himself next after the collapse of B & B Hotels-KTM
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Ian Stannard returns to Ineos Grenadiers as a sports director in 2023
The Englishman spent 10 years as a rider with the British team before retirement
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
‘It’s a good thing and shows progression of the sport’ - Ben Swift hails changes at British Cycling academy
Ineos Grenadier says putting academy riders in with development teams will encourage development of many skills
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
'I know I can do it so I need to make that next level': Ben Turner signs Ineos Grenadiers contract extension
The Classics and another Grand Tour are on the agenda for Doncaster's Big Ben
By Chris Marshall-Bell • Published