Olav Kooij has won the opening stage at Tour of Britain after getting a perfect lead-out from Jumbo Visma team mate, Wout van Aert. Indeed, the lead-out was so strong that, once Belgian Van Aert swung over to release Kooij, he slotted in right behind his young team mate, ensuring Sam Bennett was bumped off his wheel.
Bennett (Bora-hansgrohe) had to be content with 3rd place, behind the Jumbo Visma 1-2 after a sprint in which Van Aert's performance was arguably more impressive than the stage winner's. After a long lead-out in Manchester, Van Aert still had the legs to engage in blocking tactics and hold off Bennett for the runner-up spot.
There was nothing remotely unfair about what Van Aert did, though it is rarely - if ever - seen in pro cycling. Once his turn is done, a lead-out man is generally much too spent to take on the role of guarding their sprinter's rear wheel to prevent a rival coming off it.
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While an inevitable earlier breakaway shot off up the road today, the last three survivors from it - St Piran's Zeb Kyffin and Jack Rootkin-Gray (Saint Piran) with Fredrik Dversnes (Uno-X) - were recaptured late in the day. Harry Tanfield (TDT-Unibet) and James Fouché (Bolton Equities Black Spoke) had also been in the breakaway but had already gone back to the peloton.
Bennett's Bora-hansgrohe teamed up with Team Movistar and Jumbo Visma to bring back the breakaway, which set up the inevitable bunch finish. Kooij and Van Aert were simply too strong for Bennett, irrespective of Van Aert's belt and braces approach to the final 100 metres.
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Rory Townsend, the former Irish road race champion riding for Bolton Equities Black Spoke, was also in the mix in the final sprint, taking 10th place. Townsend is definitely capable of a stage win this week, especially if a breakaway move went his way.
Ryan Mullen, who was part of Bennett's Bora-hansgrohe lead-out today, also finished in the 80-rider bunch, rolling across the line in 51st place.
Today's stage took the riders 161.6km from Altrincham to Manchester while tomorrow's stage 2 is 109.9km starting and finishing in Wrexham; a short stage that may produce aggressive racing and throw up a few surprises.
