André Greipel gets the better of former yellow jersey and double stage winner Elia Viviani after a photo finish on stage 7 into Ipswich.
Ryan Mullen has run out best of the Irish on the penultimate stage of the Tour of Britain today, Saturday.
The new Cannondale-Garmin man came home in 39th place, some 21 seconds down on stage winner André Greipel (Lotto–Soudal) after more than five hours in the saddle.
The seventh stage of 227.4km from Fakenham to Ipswich came down to a sprint from a depleted peloton after the main escape of the day was forced to surrender on the fast run for home.
Greipel got the better of former yellow jersey and double stage winner Elia Viviani (Team Sky) after a photo finish.
Completing the podium was Norwegian Sondre Holst Enger of IAM Cycling.
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Ireland's Conor Dunne, left, wearing the hot spots sprints classification jersey on the start line beside Pete Williams in the climbers' jersey.
With the climbers' jersey and sprinters' jersey still very much to fight for at the start today, it was no surprise to see a number of moves go clear as riders, especially those with UK teams, sought to mop up vital points.
Pete Williams (One Pro Cycling) did enough to retain his lead in both classifications.
Williams donned the climbers’ jersey for the day and because Irishman Conor Dunne of An Post-Chainreaction was second starting this morning in the hot spots competition, that jersey passed to him for the stage.
However, while Dunne managed to escape in the breakaway on stages 1 and 5 to mop up points, he could not get out of the bunch today and remains 2nd, with Williams still leading.
Tom Stewart (Madison Genesis) pulled level with Williams in the climbers’ classification after contesting the first climb of the day in a four-man escape that was caught soon after.
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Two very hot properties right now: Tao Geoghegan Hart of Team Great Britain, left, with Ireland's Eddie Dunbar, riding this week for his trade team NFTO Pro Cycling.
But Williams took maximum points on the final climb just after the second breakaway of the day was caught. And with no climbs on the final stage tomorrow, he has now wrapped up the climbers' competition.
The main breakaway of the day featured Alex Dowsett (Movistar), Graham Briggs (JLT Condor), Bram Tankink (Team LottoNL-Jumbo) and Gabriel Cullaigh (Great Britain), though Tankink sat up and waited for the peloton.
When the remaining trio were overhauled with just under 20km remaining, Sky and Lotto-Soudal ramped up the pace ensuring a bunch sprint.
Of the other Irish in the race, Eddie Dunne (NFTO Pro Cycling) finished in 74th place on the stage, some 1:13 down. Dunne was 100th on the day, exactly 7 minutes down.
The Tour of Britain concludes on Sunday with a circuit race in London.
Stage 7: Fakenham - Ipswich (227.4km)
1 André Greipel (Ger) Lotto - Soudal 5:14:42
2 Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky
3 Sondre Holst Enger (Nor) IAM Cycling
4 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Etixx - Quick Step
5 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) MTN - Qhubeka
6 Owain Doull (GBr) Team WIGGINS
7 Rasmus Guldhammer Pedersen (Den) Cult Energy Pro Cycling
8 Jonas Van Genechten (Bel) IAM Cycling
9 Dylan van Baarle (Ned) Team Cannondale - Garmin
10 Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto - Soudal
11 Ruben Zepuntke (Ger) Team Cannondale - Garmin
12 Juan Jose Lobato Del Valle (Esp) Movistar Team
13 Rubén Fernandez Andujar (Esp) Movistar Team
14 Zdenek _tybar (Cze) Etixx - Quick Step
15 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
39 Ryan Mullen (Irl) Team Cannondale - Garmin 0:00:21
74 Eddie Dunbar (Irl) NFTO 0:01:13
100 Conor Dunne (Irl) An Post - Chainreaction 0:07:00
General Classification
1 Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) MTN - Qhubeka 33:02:36
2 Wouter Poels (Ned) Team Sky 0:00:13
3 Rasmus Guldhammer Pedersen (Den) Cult Energy Pro Cycling 0:00:43
4 Owain Doull (GBr) Team WIGGINS 0:00:44
5 Zdenek _tybar (Cze) Etixx - Quick Step 0:00:51
6 Rubén Fernandez Andujar (Esp) Movistar Team
7 Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Team LottoNL-Jumbo
8 Dylan van Baarle (Ned) Team Cannondale - Garmin 0:00:59
9 Chris Anker Sørensen (Den) Tinkoff - Saxo
10 Xandro Meurisse (Bel) An Post - Chainreaction 0:01:02
11 Robert Kiserlovski (Cro) Tinkoff - Saxo 0:01:14
12 Alex Peters (GBr) Great Britain 0:01:19
13 Gorka Izaguirre Insausti (Esp) Movistar Team
14 Rasmus Christian Quaade (Den) Cult Energy Pro Cycling 0:01:21
15 Jens Debusschere (Bel) Lotto - Soudal 0:01:33
56 Ryan Mullen (Irl) Team Cannondale - Garmin 1:12:21
58 Eddie Dunbar (Irl) NFTO 1:12:49
99 Conor Dunne (Irl) An Post - Chainreaction 1:39:53
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