Van Aert claims second Tour of Britain victory
Belgian Wout van Aert has become only the third rider to win the Tour of Britain cycle race twice. He survived several attacks in the final stage of the race on Sunday to claim a narrow overall victory.
Van Aert finished second in Caerphilly, South Wales, 11 seconds behind the stage winner, Spaniard Carlos Rodriguez. He won the overall title by 3 seconds ahead of Norway's Tobias Johannessen.
Having previously won the week-long race in 2021, Van Aert joins Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen and the Netherlands’ Lars Boom as a two-time champion. Fellow Belgian Kamiel Bonneu finished 10th
Van Aert was relieved to have held his nerve on Sunday. “It wasn’t easy at all,” he said. “I have to thank all my team, not just this week but especially today, because Rodriguez really made life difficult for us. I thought it wasn’t going to be possible to win the overall, but [teammates] Steven [Kruijswijk] and Nathan [Van Hooydonck] were able to bring me back and really saved the day. I gave it my all right up to the finish.”
The race was suspended halfway through as a result of a traffic accident on the route. The riders idled for more than 30 minutes in wet conditions before racing was able to restart.
Wout van Aert on the podium after the final stage of the Tour of Britain in Caerphilly, South Wales © PHOTO PRESS ASSOCIATION
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