Ireland’s Hawkins emerges from Tour of Britain carnage with career-best result

Hawkins was in the thick of it when the crash occurred and is clearly going well

Ireland’s Peter Hawkins (IG Sigma Sport) has taken an excellent 5^th place on the opening stage of the Tour of Britain following a crash strewn finale today, Sunday.

The peloton was split by a series of crashes in the closing 20km of the 203km stage from Ipswich to Norfolk Showground. And as Team Sky swarmed at the head of the depleted bunch to lead out world champion Mark Cavendish, a crash at the front of the group took all but a small number of riders out of the contest for stage honours.

Just a couple of hundred metres before the small peloton was about to hurtle under the 1km to go banner, the crash took out a number of riders and stalled all but around 15 or so at the front of the group. Cavendish appeared to fall first.

With him on the deck it was left to his team mate Luke Rowe to gallop in and take the opening stage for Team Sky. Boy Van Poppel (Unitedhealthcare) was second with Russell Downing (Endura Racing) in third.

Hawkins was in the mix at the head of the group when the crash occurred. However, despite having battled to hold his position as the Team Sky lead-out train put the group under pressure, he still had the legs to get what was a very good result in the scatter to the line that followed the crash.

He is now 5^th both on GC and in the points classification in the UCI 2.1 event.

The only other Irish riders in the race, Sam Bennett and Ronan McLaughlin were caught up by the crashes. Bennett was in the 36-rider lead group with Cavendish and Hawkins when the final crash occurred just before the 1km to go banner. He finished in 18^th place on the stage and was credited with the same time as the winner.

McLaughlin was unfortunately the victim of the earlier crashes and came home in a small group some 1:29 down in 30^th place.

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Bennett’s and McLaughlin’s team mate Niels Wytnick got clear in the day’s early escape, a four-man move that survived until 22kms to go. He was last to be absorbed by the field and was rewarded with the combativity award as well as sitting second in the climbers’ classification.

Stage 1:  Ipswich to Norfolk Showground, 203km

Rouleur Combativity Award
Niels Wytnick, AN Post Sean Kelly

IG Gold Jersey, General Classification

Chain Reaction Cycles Points Classification
1) Luke Rowe, GBR, Team Sky, 15pts
2) Boy Van Poppel, NED, UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling, 14pts
3) Russell Downing, GBR, Endura Racing, 13pts
4) Jeremie Galland, FRA, Saur Sojasun, 12pts
5) Peter Hawkins, IRL, Team IG - Sigma Sport, 11pts
6) Rony Martias, FRA, Saur Sojasun, 10pts
7) Barry Markus, NED, Vacansoleil - DCM, 9pts
8 Paolo Longo Borghini, ITA, Liquigas - Cannondale, 8pts
9) Jonathan Tiernan Locke, GBR, Endura Racing, 7pts
10) Ben Grenda, AUS, Rapha Condor, 6pts

SKODA King of the Mountains Classification
1) Kristian House, GBR, Rapha Condor, 12pts
2) Niels Wytinck, BEL, AN Post Sean Kelly, 9pts
3) Rony Martias, FRA, Saur Sojasun, 4pts

Yodel Sprints Classification
1) Rony Martias, FRA, Saur Sojasun, 12pts
2) Kristian House, GBR, Rapha Condor, 9pts
3) Jonny Clarke, AUS, UnitedHealthcare, 7pts