The Belgian Wout van Aert, from the Jumbo-Visma team, achieved this Sunday the final victory in the Tour of Britain by benefiting from the bonus added to the sprint winning the eighth and final stage, of 173 kilometers, starting in Stonehaven and finishing in Aberdeen.
Winner of four of the eight stages of the test, Van Aert faced the final day from second place four seconds behind the British Ethan Hayter (INEOS Grenadiers), leader from the fifth stage. But he insisted on seeking a triumph that he seized with a powerful sprint.
The Belgian, current champion of his country on the road, won at the Aberdeen finish line ahead of veteran German sprinter André Greipel (Israel Star-Up Nation) and Britain’s Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck Quick Step), and with Hayter eleventh with the platoon and deprived of glory. After applying the bonuses, Van Aert took the victory with six seconds of margin on Hayter and 27 on the third, the French Julian Alaphilippe.
Van Aert’s triumph was compromised during the stage as a six-man breakaway took all the points from the intermediate sprint. The Belgian engaged his entire team in the chase and had the reward he was looking for. Hayter tried to get into the fight for the stage win, but found himself cornered and then unresponsive when Van Aert went for the win. After crossing the finish line, Van Aert looked back to see where Hayter had finished before checking out his final victory.