Stevie Williams stormed to victory on stage two of the Tour of Britain, launching a decisive attack on the Saltburn Bank climb before out-sprinting Oscar Onley and Julian Alaphilippe in a tight finish. The Welshman’s win propelled him into the overall lead, as the trio finished 20 seconds ahead of the chasing group.
“It’s really special to win in the UK – we don’t get to race here often so it means a lot,” said Williams after taking his first professional win on home soil. “The way the boys rode was superb. They made sure I was positioned brilliantly going into the climbs.”
The 152.1km stage from Darlington to Redcar was full of action from the outset, with several failed attempts at breakaways before a group of eight riders eventually got clear. The peloton, driven by the team of race leader Paul Magnier, kept the break within reach, closing the gap significantly over the climbs of the North York Moors.
Callum Thornley, already wearing the King of the Mountains jersey, added to his lead by taking maximum points on all three categorised climbs, but the day truly came alive when Remco Evenepoel attacked from the peloton on the steep gradients of Lythe Bank with less than 50km to go. His move set the tone for the final phase of the race, as a group including Williams, Onley, and Alaphilippe formed at the front.
On the final climb, Williams attacked again, with only Onley able to follow. The duo was later joined by Alaphilippe, and the trio worked together to hold off the chasing group. In the final sprint, it was Williams who had the edge, taking a well-earned victory.
Onley, who finished third on the stage, was pleased with his performance, saying, “It was a nice day of racing. I managed to get away with Stevie [Williams] and [Julian] Alaphilippe, which kept things a little more simple, which I liked.”
Team dsm-firmenich PostNL coach Pim Lightart added, “Oscar rode aggressively but smart. Tomorrow with a difficult final, we will try to move up one more spot in GC.”
Williams, now leading the general classification by six seconds, remains cautious but optimistic. “Four more days to go, it doesn’t end until it ends. We’ll play it day by day – a lot of things can happen in a stage race,” he said.
Tomorrow’s stage will see the riders tackle a challenging 166km route through South Yorkshire, taking in climbs around Barnsley and Sheffield.
2024 Tour of Britain Stage 2 result
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Main photo credit: SWPix.com
