Danny van Poppel edged out Ethan Vernon to take victory in stage six of the Tour of Britain, bringing Jumbo-Visma’s five-stage winning streak to a close.
The Bora-Hansgrohe rider came out on top by a paper-thin margin at the end of the 146.2km route from Southend to Harlow, inching in front in an incredibly close photo finish.
Vernon, the British contender, had to settle for second, with Tord Gudmestad, riding for Uno-X Pro Cycling Team, in third and Olav Kooij, the Jumbo-Visma rider, in fourth.
Kooij had won the first four stages on the trot before Wout van Aert, his Jumbo-Visma teammate, claimed the fifth to move top of the general classification. Van Aert managed to retain his overall lead after finishing 17th.
“It feels great, I’m very happy to win,” said Van Poppel afterwards. “It is difficult to beat Jumbo-Visma. It’s nice to beat one of the best teams and sprinters.”
Reflecting on winning by barely a tyre’s width, the Dutch rider struggled to contain his relief. “It was very close. My lunge was very important. I know I’m good at that, timing and all that. I think that gave me the win. It’s nice to be able to beat someone like Vernon, who is a world champion on the track.”
Stage seven, which takes place on Saturday, will take riders on a 170.9km loop from Tewkesbury to Gloucester. The last two stages both feature gruelling hill climbs, but Van Poppel is relishing the challenge.
“The steep bunch of climbs really suits me,” he said. “Ineos Grenadiers with [Tom] Pidcock, they will do everything to drop us. I think it will be a big day tomorrow and the day after.”
