For the second consecutive day, the Tour of Britain ended this Wednesday with a bunch sprint. At the end of a 170-km loop around Stowmarket, which proved a bit hectic due to the weather conditions, Olav Kooij once again came out on top. Due to a puncture in the final, Matt Walls was unable to get involved in the mix.
As with the previous day’s, the peloton tackled quite an easy terrain around Stowmarket on Wednesday in the Tour of Britain. The sprinters were once again expected to be at the forefront on the second stage, which quickly took a completely predictable turn. “We once again followed a classic pattern, even though the breakaway went a little later than yesterday, after about ten kilometres,” explained Jérôme Gannat. “Four riders broke away, and then the peloton maintained a good pace all day. Despite everything, it wasn’t that easy because there always was a fairly strong wind, often coming from the side. We had to constantly stay careful and well-positioned.” The gap to the leading quartet never exceeded three minutes, and the pack easily closed in the final hour of racing, which was nonetheless eventful. “Fifty kilometres from the finish, some very heavy rain appeared on the course,” continued Jérôme. “The roadsides were also quite bad, and a lot of punctures followed from then on.”
“The most important thing is that we could avoid the crashes,” Jérôme Gannat
While no major incidents or echelons disrupted the peloton in the final hour, Matt Walls’ chances vanished due to a puncture about thirty kilometres from the finish. “There was a small, technical section with a very narrow road of one kilometre,” explained Jérôme. “Matt punctured just before, he got blocked in that particular section, then we got the tailwind again, and he was never able to come back. In any case, even if he had been able to come back, I don’t think he would have been able to sprint properly with all the effort he put in.” Groupama-FDJ therefore didn’t join the sprint on Wednesday, in a somewhat tortuous and slippery final where they mostly avoided incidents. “It was a bit of a chaotic sprint,” confirmed Jérôme. “There were less riders at the finish than yesterday, due to punctures and a crash in the last three kilometres, but the most important thing is that we got through it. There’s one more day to go, and one chance for Matt, before we reach Romain’s terrain.” The young Frenchman, like the rest of his teammates with the exception of Matt Walls, crossed the line in the peloton on Wednesday.
