Philip Deignan drives the escape on the opening stage of the Tour de Yorkshire as the field disintegrates behind him.
Philip Deignan has animated the finale on the opening stage of the Tour de Yorkshire, getting clear in the winning five-man group that gained over one minute on the rest of the field.
The Irishman and his Team Sky team mate Lars Petter Nordhaug perfectly worked over the others in the escape, with each going clear in attacks in the closing stages.
However, while Deignan managed to shake off the others in the closing kilometres with a number of moves, the group came back together.
And it was Nordhaug who won the stage in a sprint and took the first ever race leader’s jersey in the new three-day UCI-ranked event.
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The front group soon became very small, with Deignan imposing himself in a serious way; seen here driving the move along again.
Deignan, who did a lot of work on the front to split the races to pieces before the five-man escape pulled clear, was 5th on the day on the same time as his race-winning team mate.
Also in the escape with the Team Sky duo were Thomas Voeckler (Europcar), Stephane Rossetto (Cofidis) and Samuel Sanchez (BMC Racing).
They pulled clear with around 30km remaining as the race split to pieces and after a number of earlier escapes, including one involving Ireland’s Eddie Dunbar (NFTO Pro Cycling), were recaptured.
With 20km remaining, the five escapees had just under two minutes on the peloton, with a chase group in between some 45 seconds off the breakaway.
It was one of those days in Yorkshire; the field splitting to pieces on a lumpy course, with no hiding places.
At the 10km mark, the gap between breakaway and bunch was holding at between 50 seconds and one minute and that was to be as close as it got.
With two men up front, it was down to Team Sky to impose themselves and try and win the stage and take the leader’s jersey in this, the first edition of the race in the team’s home country.
Deignan and Nordhaug certainly did not shy away from that task.
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Inside the final 5km it was the Norwegian who was first to go, taking off in a solo move.
No prizes for guessing who is on the front again drilling it and making life a nightmare for most of the rest of the field; Philip Deignan.
However, Voeckler was quickly across to the lone leader before the five escapees all regrouped.
It was then the turn of Deignan to take his chance, with Voeckler again taking on responsibility for chasing him down.
The Frenchman got across to him on his own and entering the last 1.5km of the 178km stage that pair led the others by a small margin.
However, this time Sanchez put in some turns that brought them back. Both Sky men would go again before the finish, but all five escapees came over the finish line together.
Nordhaug comes home for the stage win, with Deignan just behind in the process of sticking his two hands up in celebration of a great win for the team.
Deignan was last of the lead group crossing the line with his two hands in the air to celebrate what was a fantastic team effort on home soil for the WorldTour glamour squad.
With the time bonuses on offer Nordhaug leads the race with a gap of 10 seconds between him and Deignan back in 5th.
Tomorrow’s 174km stage 2 from Selby to York expected to suit the sprinters.
There is a gruelling hilly 167 queen stage into Leeds to end of the race on Sunday, with both Nordhaug and Deignan well placed to win the race outright for Team Sky.
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