Wout van Aert wins Tour of Britain by three seconds as Carlos Rodríguez solos to stage eight victory
Jumbo-Visma rider repeats 2021 success to win the race for a second time


The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to The Pick. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) had to dig deep to seal the Tour of Britain title on Sunday afternoon, winning the race for the second time in his career, this time by three seconds.
The Belgian chased down an attack from Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers) on Caerphilly Mountain in South Wales, closing the gap to the Spaniard, who went on to win the final stage.
Rodríguez needed to claw back 39 seconds to take the leader's jersey. The 22-year-old ultimately won the stage by 11, with Van Aert sprinting to second place behind him.
The result meant that the three seconds Van Aert earned on stage five in Felixstowe went on to decide the race. Uno-X's Tobias Halland Johannessen finished second in the general classification, with Q.36.5 Pro Cycling's Damien Howsen in third, both at three seconds.
Speaking afterwards, Rodríguez said he had to "time trial to the finish" in his bid to overhaul the race lead.
"We had to try to win the stage and the race," the Ineos Grenadiers rider explained. "Today was the day that suited us the best, so we needed to try to force Jumbo and the other teams to chase to put us in a good position, and that's what I tried."
Stage eight was neutralised at its midway point following a road traffic incident further up the race route. The peloton idled for over half an hour, before racing restarted and the attacks came on the approach to Caerphilly.
With around 50km to go, Rodríguez launched a two-pronged move with Stevie Williams (Great Britain) that put Van Aert on the ropes. The duo faltered in their attack initially, but chose to barrel together towards the finish, stretching out a gap of over a minute, and riding two-up for over 30km.
The Spaniard then attacked alone on the first of two ascents of Caerphilly Mountain, leaving Williams to be swallowed up.
"I just had to go as fast as possible to the finish and in the end, I couldn't get the GC," Rodríguez said. "It was very difficult, but I have to be happy."
Despite some tense moments, Van Aert ended up finishing the day with the same three-second lead he had at the start of it.
The Belgian's team-mate Olav Kooij, winner of the first four stages, won the points classification at the race, while James Fouché (Bolton Equities Black Spoke) was the King of the Mountains.
Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers) was the best young rider at the race, finishing fourth overall. Mark Donovan (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) was the highest placed Brit in fifth.
Thank you for reading 20 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
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is the host of The TT Podcast, which covers both the men's and women's pelotons and has featured a number of prominent British riders.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides.
He's also fluent in French and Spanish and holds a master's degree in International Journalism.
-
-
Best winter tires for road cycling 2023
The best winter tires for our road bikes are an essential purchase. Here are our picks that find a robust compromise between rolling resistance, weight, and puncture protection
By Stefan Abram Published
-
Ten steps to the perfect amateur 'off-season'
The season of weight training and nutritional debauchery is here
By Michelle Arthurs-Brennan Published
-
'It was my legs that let me down': Stevie Williams ‘proud’ of Tour of Britain final day performance
Welshman takes heart from impressive showing in South Wales, as he looked like he might win the stage and overall
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Wout van Aert 'forced to fight' for second Tour of Britain victory
‘I had to stay calm’ says the Belgian after Carlos Rodriguez piles on the pressure on tough final stage in Caerphilly
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tour of Britain stage eight neutralised due to non-racing incident
Race temporarily halted with 83 kilometres remaining to the finish in Caerphilly
By Tom Thewlis Last updated
-
Brexit and cash strapped councils - Tour of Britain director responds to criticism of 'boring' race
SweetSpot’s Mick Bennett says social media criticism of the race being 'boring' has been 'hard to hear'
By Tom Thewlis Last updated
-
‘The ultimate goal is the Tour de France’ - How Tour de Tietema went from YouTube pranks to pro ranks
TDT-Unibet are on a mission to reach the top of the sport, and they're having fun along the way
By Tom Davidson Published
-
‘It will be a matter of legs’ - Wout van Aert in confident mindset ahead of Tour of Britain finale
Belgian says attack was the best form of defence for Jumbo-Visma after race explodes in Gloucestershire
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
‘It was a crazy plan’ - Wout van Aert on his stunning solo Tour of Britain stage win
Belgian superstar says it’s now ‘up to the others’ to attack him as Jumbo-Visma rider takes over race lead
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
‘You never really get used to winning’ - Olav Kooij claims fourth stage from four at Tour of Britain
The Dutchman's dominance has so far been unrivalled at the race
By Tom Davidson Published