Danny van Poppel ended Jumbo-Visma’s dominance of the Tour of Britain as he sprinted to win stage six in Harlow on Friday by the narrowest of margins.
Van Poppel timed his kick perfectly to pip British rider Ethan Vernon a tyre-width. Tord Gudmestad (Uno-X) finished third, with four-time stage winner Olav Kooij in fourth.
Although their 100% record of stage victories in the race ended in the Essex town, Jumbo – Visma’s Wout van Aert crossed the line in 17th place to retain the overall lead.
“The team has given me a lot of trust and I think that’s really important for the sprint”, Van Poppel said. “I knew it was a hard finish and you also need some luck, of course. There was space to go through and I took the chance. I know [my] timings and I know I can do it really well; I think I did the perfect jump to win the race today.”
“I always fight for the win but I know it’s hard to beat the big riders like [those] in Jumbo [- Visma] but today I did it. It’s really cool.”
DANNY VAN POPPEL ENDS JUMBO – VISMA’S RUN IN HARLOW ?
The @BORAhansgrohe rider edges out Ethan Vernon by inches to win stage six. #TourOfBritain ??⚪️ pic.twitter.com/57vm1yWPPu
— The Tour of Britain ?? (@TourofBritain) September 8, 2023
