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
![Wout van aert with a bottle of Champagne](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AYqWe9eoQjLFs9AjkeohL4-415-80.jpeg)
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.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
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
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.
-
Tadej Pogačar broke 288 Strava KOMs during Tour de France victory
Slovenian won his third Tour title in Nice last weekend, and picked up a host of new trophies on Strava
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I'm definitely pushing over 2,500 watts' - Meet the most powerful cyclists in the GB Olympics squad
Move over track sprinters, there are stronger legs in town
By Tom Davidson Published
-
British Cycling announces final Tour of Britain host towns for 2024
East Midlands to welcome men's race on stage four
By Tom Thewlis Last updated
-
Rod Ellingworth 'totally open' to Mark Cavendish making Tour of Britain appearance
'There will always be a place for Mark' says race director after Cavendish’s Tour de France record breaking triumph in Saint-Vulbas
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Wout van Aert to continue to 'chase opportunities' at Tour de France, provided Jonas Vingegaard is safe
'We want Wout to win a stage, but we have to look at it day by day', says Visma-Lease a Bike DS Frans Maassen
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
How one phone call from Wout van Aert led to the Belgian riding the Tour de France
Visma-Lease a Bike sporting director Merijn Zeeman reveals Van Aert said he wanted "to do something special"
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
21 things you didn't know about Wout van Aert
From studying computer science at university through to what he eats for breakfast
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert to ride Tour de France for Visma-Lease a Bike
The pair will lineup in Florence next Saturday after recovering from their respective injuries
By Adam Becket Published
-
Have Visma-Lease a Bike unofficially announced their Tour de France team with Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert?
The reigning two-time champion has been part of team’s final altitude training camp in Tignes before Florence Grand Départ
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
From 'best condition ever' to 'worst' - Wout van Aert reflects on crashing out of Classics
Visma-Lease a Bike rider rues his misfortune in team documentary after Spring campaign wiped out by crash
By Tom Thewlis Published