In a twist at the final stage of the Tour of Britain Women, Christine Majerus’s premature celebration cost her the stage victory, allowing Ruby Roseman-Gannon to seize the win in Manchester. The rain-drenched course saw Team SD Worx-Protime, with riders like Lotte Kopecky and Lorena Wiebes, controlling the race until the last moment, only to lose it on the line. In the finish photo, 3 SD Worx riders surround Ruby Roseman-Gannon.
During the sprint finish, Majerus appeared to have the win secured thanks to her teammates holding back to let her cross first. However, in the final 250 metres, she celebrated too early, which allowed Roseman-Gannon to overtake her just before the line. Majerus later addressed the incident on Instagram, stating, “It is my fault for cheering too early, but congratulations to Ruby for believing in her chances until the finish line. I thank my teammates for giving me the chance and I’m sorry for messing it up.”
Kopecky, the World Champion and overall winner of the Tour of Britain, explained their strategy on social media. “It may look silly, but you can only understand our decision if you know how much respect we have for each other,” she wrote. “We decided to let Christine sprint for the win. Even though it didn’t go as planned, we would still make the same choice.”
Wiebes, also weighing in on the incident, mentioned, “It can happen to the best of us,” referring to her own similar experience at the Amstel Gold Race where an early celebration cost her the victory.
Roseman-Gannon, originally riding in support of Letizia Paternoster, found herself in a fortunate position after Paternoster suffered a puncture. Reflecting on her unexpected win, Roseman-Gannon said, “I can’t believe it. I was supposed to ride for Letizia, but after her puncture, I was allowed to go for my own chance. I positioned myself behind the SD Worx-Protime riders, knowing they were the strongest team. It paid off when Majerus celebrated early.”
She added, “I feel a bit bad for Christine because they wanted her to win due to her hard work for the team, but I’m very happy for myself. We’ve been riding well these past weeks, with stage wins and a full podium in Andalusia, for example.”
The stage wrapped up with Kopecky and Majerus standing on the overall podium, with Kopecky claiming the general classification victory. Despite the mishap, Kopecky expressed her satisfaction with the team’s performance, stating, “I’m happy with our overall performance throughout the Tour of Britain and my overall victory. Maybe it looked funny, but it is what it is.”
