Michal Kwiatkowski sprinted to 7th in today's stage of the Tour of Britain to defend his overall lead. For the first time in this year's race, the Pole could go into the stage with a relaxed approach as the stage suited his skills.

OPQS rider Michal Kwiatkowski is the first rider to wear the leader's jersey for more than a stage at the 2014 Edition of Tour of Britain. The Polish rider was well protected by his teammates all the way into the finish line of the 177.3km 5th Stage, setting him up for a 7th place finish and protecting his 3 second advantage in the overall classification.

The original breakaway decided the stage, though it was Matthias Brandle (IAM Cycling) who won solo after attacking the group on Cat. 2 Stoke Hill. Shane Archbold (An Post - Chain Reaction) was 2nd, and Maarten Wynants (Belkin) was 3rd.

OPQS looks next to Stage 6, from Bath to Hemel Hempstead. The final kilometers will be exciting, with multiple Category 2 and 3 climbs and some uncategorized ascents before descending to the finish line.

"For our team this stage was not easy," Kwiatkowski said, "We controlled the gap to around 3 minutes as Brandle was more than 3 minutes from the GC lead. It wasn't dangerous at that point, but you still have to work to keep the gap reasonable. We knew if someone from another team wanted to win the stage they'd have to take control and chase down the breakaway, and another team did.

"I want to thank my teammates. They put me out of pressure. I was really relaxed after a nervous four stages. This was the first when I could feel pretty calm. Of course it was a tough final with the climb near the finish and a fast descent before the line, but that kind of situation suits my skills and I was able to finish near the front. I wouldn't have been able to without my teammates pulling for 120 kilometers. That's not an easy thing and again, my teammates get all the credit today."