The Tour of Britain is off to a flying start, with the world's top riders putting on a show for UK cycling fans and those around the world. Keep up to date with all of the race nation and stage-by-stage progress of Ribble Weldtite with our Tour of Britain race roundup.
Stage 5 - Mansfield > West Bridgford (186.8km)
Zeb Kyffin deservedly picked up the combativity award after a day spent in the break on stage five of the Tour of Britain. When resources are low and your backs are to the wall the only way forward is to attack. At least this seemed to be the motto for Ribble Weldtite as the fifth stage got underway.
After all the trials and tribulations of the last few days, stage 5 was a relatively straightforward affair. The easing of hostilities was exemplified by the day's break being allowed to gain an advantage of five minutes over the rest of the field. The breakaway contingent consisted of Zeb, Iacchi (Qhubeka), Joel Nicau (Caja-Rural) and Matthew Teggart (WiV).
The group worked well to maintain their lead, with Iacchi and Teggart particularly keen to accrue KOM and sprint points when possible. However, when other teams muscled into the action at the head of the chasing bunch the lead started to diminish. By the 100km to go mark, it was back below three minutes. With the lead looking far more manageable the race settled into a holding pattern.
The peloton was content to let the break hang out there with the gap pegged at two minutes. At the nest intermediate sprint, all cohesion went out of the break as the riders attacked each other. Things looked particularly fractious between Iacchi and Teggart, while they bickered Zeb and Nicolau simply rode away from them.
The pair gamely hung on until 20km from home when a peloton now being driven by Ineos, Team GB and Trinity reeled them back in. The sprinter's team now took over and navigated a technical finale to deliver their designated fast finisher to the line. Jordi Meeus (Bora-Hansgrohe) proved victorious to take his first win of the season.
Gonzalo Serrano retained the lead and was awarded the overall race win after the final three stages were cancelled in respect of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Stage 4 - Redcar > Duncombe Park (149.5km)
With its short distance and undulating terrain, stage four of the Tour of Britain was expected to be a shake-up of the GC. What could not have been foreseen were the ranks of Ribble Weldtite being depleted yet further. A hectic start saw several riders locked in a battle to make it into the day's break.
The frantic pace proved too much for Red and Charlie, with both abandoning early in proceedings. As the sole representatives of the team, Zeb and Ross both valiantly attempted to get into the break. But, the peloton looked in no mood to let any breaks go, and the pair were soon forced out of the back to join the grupetto.
At the front of the race, Magnus Sheffield (Ineos) and Harry Birchall (Saint Piran) finally got a gap. Their escape prompted more counterattacks, but the pair were still clear atop the day's first climb at Robin Hood's Bay. Sheffield's teammate Pidcock also used the climb as a springboard for an attack.
Initially, only Thomas Gloag (Trinity) and Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech) were able to follow the Yorkshireman. However, the peloton reformed, with Uno-X to the fore. Their injection of pace led to the lead being slashed to just 25 seconds as the break reached the foot of Egton Bank.
Uno-X utilised their numbers to power up the climb, wiping out the lead and drastically reducing the numbers within the peloton. By the top of the climb, approximately 25 riders remained race leader Perry among them. About 55km from the finish, a large group rejoined to effectively double the group's size.
This signalled a momentary calm in a day of unrelenting, non-stop action. Ineos then seized control of the front of the race and used their numbers to string things out for the climb of Carlton Bank. Again it was Pidcock who blew the race apart, his attack taking him clear with Michael Woods, Dylan Teuns (Israel PT), Filippo Zana (Bardiani) and Oscar Onley (DSM Development) for company.
By the summit, only Teuns and Onley were left with Pidcock, Teuns taking maximum KOM points. As the trio tried to build a lead, a chase group formed and a frantic chase ensued. Once Movistar came to the fore, they quickly reeled the trio back in. However, Pidcock and Teun's day was far from done, the pair attacking again on the climb of Newgate Bank.
Movistar's work had paid off, for Serrano joined the pair upfront along with Omar Fraile (Ineos). This time the move stuck, and it was Serrano who pipped Pidcock to the post. The Englishman perhaps ran out of steam after spending much of the closing kilometres pushing the pace.
Zeb and Ross soak up the calm amidst the grupetto.
The undulating terrain of stage 4 provided some fireworks in the latter portion of the stage.
The team line-up for their presentation on Redcar.
Zeb aboard his Ultra SL R and sporting some war wounds.
Stage 3 - Durham > Sunderland (163.6km)
A rather damp third stage of the Tour of Britain passed without major incident. Zeb finished as the lead rider, rolling in some 20 seconds behind stage two winner Cees Bol (DSM) and 48 seconds down on the day's stage winner. All the rest of the team, with the exception of Harry Tanfield, finished safely.
An incident with a race moto sadly ended Harry's tour a day before his home stage. Today was the day when the break finally had its say. Even before the heavens opened, Kamiel Bonneau (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise), Mahijs Passens (Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB), Ben Perry (WiV SunGod) and Alexander Richardson (Saint Piran) had bolted up the road.
Like the preceding stages, the break was given its head and the race settled into a familiar pattern. Israel premier-tech committed their riders to control the front of the bunch whilst the break concentrated on building a lead. This status quo lasted until approximately 45km from the finish when the peloton realised the lead stood at five minutes.
Queue scenes of panic as multiple teams committed riders to the chase without establishing any sort of cohesion. With a favourable tailwind helping the breakaway, time was fast running out for the sprinter's teams. Despite their best efforts, they simply ran out of time and kilometres to make the catch.
At 10km from the finish, Richardson believed they had enough of a lead to attempt multiple attacks from the break. However, this nearly proved the undoing of the breakaway as a rapidly approaching peloton bore down on the quartet. Bonneau caught his breakaway companions, escaping in the final kilometre to take the win. The bonus points awarded for finishing second were enough for Perry to take over the overall race lead.
Stage three's team presentation, minus the unfortunate Finn.
The riders faced another lumpy stage as the race headed across the border into England for the first time.
As the Grenadian road race champ, Red gets to wear his national champs jersey during the Tour of Britain.
Ross and Zeb share a laugh before the serious business of stage three commences.
Zeb gets his game face on.
Fuelling up for the full-gas racing.
Stage 2 - Hawick > Duns (175.2km)
After a quiet opening stage, Ribble Weldtite exploded into life on stage two of the Tour of Britain. And it was the Tanfield brothers who lit the blue touch paper. Only five kilometres of the stage had elapsed before the Tanfield's attacked with four riders for company.
Unsurprisingly, the group composition was again made up solely of riders from the continental teams. Alongside the Tanfields were Matt Teggart (WiV-SunGod), Adam Lewis (Saint Piran), Ukko Peltonen (Global 6) and Travis Stedman (Qhubeka). The chances of the break staying away were slim. Nonetheless, they grew the gap out to nearly five minutes.
Israel-Premier tech took up the mantle of limiting the break's advantage, Dowsett and Hollenstein doing the lion's share of the work. With just over 60km remaining, Ineos added its weight to the chase, and the gap evaporated quickly. The lumpy terrain soon took its toll on the now doomed break.
Harry Tanfield was the first to succumb, being swept up by a now motoring peloton with 27km remaining. The breakaway remnants didn't fare much better and were swallowed up before the first of a trio of hills. Once the last riders were brought back, soon-to-retire Richie Porte once again proved his immeasurable value to Ineos.
The Tasmanian accelerated the climb in his trademark style to discourage attacks. All seemed to be going to plan until Davide Gabburo (Bardiani-CSF-Faizane) attacked solo with just 16km remaining. The plucky Italian established a 25-second lead on the day's final climb of Harden's Hill. By now, alarm bells were most definitely bringing for Ineos in the group behind.
Yet it was Saint Piran who launched a countermove. Alex Richardson and Jack-Rootkin-Gray took advantage of Ineo's perceived weakness to launch their own bid for glory. The move was short-lived, however, and along with Gabburo, they were absorbed by a peloton still being dragged along by Porte.
Several further attacks over the closing kilometres, but none proved successful. As the kilometres ticked down, a bunch sprint looked ever more likely. Into the last 3km, DSM seized control of the head of the race. The entire squad lined out to launch their sprinter Cees Bol to the line.
As they made their final dash to the line, Jake Stewart (Team GB) launched an early attack off the back of some great work from a teammate. It looked like Stewart had it in the bag for all the world. But suddenly, Bol emerged from the pack and drew level with the Englishman.
As the pair thundered across the line, neither celebrated. It was a dead heat, and for several minutes, the winner remained unclear. The photo finish finally established that Bol had won by a tyre width. Zeb Kyffin was once again first across the line for Ribble Weldtite.
There was awful news for Finn Crockett, whose race had reached a premature end. A crash earlier in the stage meant he finished the day in some discomfort. Scans have subsequently confirmed that the Scotsman has sustained a fractured pelvis. Get well soon, Finn.
Harry getting aero to preserve as much energy as possible for later in the stage.
The Tanfield brothers discuss tactics.
Harry looking cool and composed in the day's break.
The windy conditions reduced the chances of any break staying away.
Stage two was a 175 kilometre gallop through the Scottish Borders.
Stage 1 - Aberdeen > Glenshee Ski Centre (181.3km)
Zeb Kyffin emerged from a tricky opening stage to finish within a handful of seconds of surprise stage winner Corbin Stong (Israel-Premier tech). The rest of the team lost substantial time, perhaps signalling their intent to go all out for stage wins?
Despite the scorching weather of recent weeks, the Tour of Britain's arrival was rather predictably greeted with wind and rain. As the rain lashed down in Aberdeen, the riders must have wondered what had happened to the scorching conditions pervading the majority of the UK over the past few weeks.
Thankfully the conditions didn't affect the racing, which was electric from the off. With several teams looking to maximise their camera time, it was no surprise to see a breakaway go early in the stage. Having missed the break, Ribble Weldtite was happy to play the waiting game and keep a watching brief.
The five-rider breakaway consisted entirely of continental-level riders; Matt Gibson and Stephen Bassett (Human Powered Health), Jacob Scott and Matt Teggart (WiV-SunGod) and Martin Urianstad (Uno-X). A battle between the breakaway and the team of Ineos Grenadiers developed. Riding in support of team leader Tom Pidcock, Ineos initially let the lead grow to over 4 minutes.
But as the cold and wet conditions began to take their toll, their collective efforts reduced the gap to less than two minutes after 90km. At this point, Israel-Premier Tech joined the fray, causing the gap to the chagrin of the breakaway. Once the break started their ascent of the day's final climb, their lead stood at a precarious 45 seconds.
This was slashed in half as six-time national time-trial champion Alex Dowsett engaged TT mode and dragged the peloton up the climb. What Alex could not accomplish, the final 3km did. Within one kilometre of the line, the break was done. Ineos once again flexed their muscles, hoping to propel Pidcock to victory.
Team Sky/Ineos stalwart Richie Porte injected a huge burst of acceleration to shed riders out of what remained of the main bunch. When Porte reached his limit, Magnus Sheffield and then Omar Fraile took over the task of riding at tempo.
But it was all in vain, as Strong lived up to his name and powered past the Spanish champion to take his first professional road victory.
This shot perfectly captures the endlessly rolling terrain that permeates throughout the length of Britain.
For the first time in its history, the Tour of Britain featured an opening stage summit finish.
Charlie may be wondering why he bothered with the sunglasses given the murky conditions.
Red looking resplendent in his Grenadian national road race champions jersey.
Check out our Tour of Britain guide for a preview of each stage.
After notching their second UCI win of the season, Le Col-Wahoo is flying high. Read about their most recent race win here.