Thomas Voeckler (Direct Energie) proved that he is not ready for retirement yet as he claimed a magnificent stage win and the overall victory on the final day of the Tour de Yorkshire. Having rejoined Nicolas Roche (Sky) on the descent from the final climb, he stayed calm in the finale to beat his rival in the two-rider sprint, with Adam Yates (Orica-GreenEDGE) winning the sprint for third. The result was enough to take the overall victory ahead of Roche and Anhtony Turgis (Cofidis).

 

We have gathered several reactions.

 

Thomas Voeckler: This victory shows that I am still here

After the race, a delighted Thomas Voeckler said: “When you win it’s always perfect, but it was a hard day and it was difficult with all those Team Sky guys. When you are just five riders going for the win it is very stressful, so I’m really happy.

 

“Because I lost last year I knew the final kilometres would be hard, and I knew how to manage the sprint. I told myself I would take every opportunity to make sprints and take advantage of what I knew in the final 300 metres.

 

“It was not only my legs that won today, it was with my head. It was difficult for me to follow the attacks sometimes but I stayed patient and managed to always make my way back. To win the stage and overall makes me really happy.”

 

”It took a lot of concentration, calculations. I had to be coldblooded and I had a lot of scenarios in my head,” he told L’Equipe. “It was hard for the legs of course. It won due to my experience, that of my pros years but also that of last year. I had not seen the last climb (added to the course this year) but Jimmy Engoulvent, my director, had informed me and showed me pictures. I did not have the legs to make the difference on the climb but I felt I had the strength on the flat.
 

”I was not at all sure to beat Roche. Normally he is faster than me. I knew I had a chance so I said, ’Come on, let's go, we ride together, and we'll see what happens in the sprint.’

 

”Looking at the course, we knew that everything would be decided on the last day. There was a lot of tension with the weather (cold, wind, frequent showers). It made it dangerous. If I had been riding at Sky, I would not have won. Because Sky tried to control the race but it was very difficult with the wind. I knew that we should not attack early and I had to hold myself back because if I had listened to myself, I would have attacked earlier. But it would have been a waste of energy. 

 

“I have realized since last year that I am popular here. It almost made me feel bad because I was almost more encouraged than the English rider. It is really impressive. There's my name on the road, on banners held by children. It is as if it were a stage of the Tour de France in Vendée. And I'm not saying this to please the people here.
 

”It is true that this Turgis is a young rider who impresses me a little and I had noticed him already last year. He was there with the favourites. He is part of the young French generation that is not afraid, just like my teammate Lilian Calmejane (15th overall).
 

“I must be the guy who has the most race days since the beginning of the season: 42. I'll take some time to unwind. I wanted to go to the Four Days of Dunkirk but I will eventually skipit. I will do the Tour of Belgium, the Dauphiné and the Route du Sud and then it will be the Tour.

 

"I enjoyed it perhaps more than when I was younger and more used to winning. I had already won two races this year but I was still hungry. This stage was made for me and it is also true that in England, I feel at home so I'm encouraged. I'm really happy.

 

"The Sky team had the weight of the race. This is normal since they are at home and they had very good riders. We were there as outsiders. It was a gradual elimination.

 

"I am old according to the stats but in the spirit, I am still very young. This victory shows that I'm still here, even if I think I did not need to prove it. I take pleasure. I'm at a stage where all the races are a bonus for me. I have experienced many things, but still to have such emotions after 16 years feels good.”

 

Nicolas Roche: Voeckler is the number one in the game of cat and mouse

Nicolas Roche crossed the line second after a thrilling climax to the Tour de Yorkshire to wrap up the same position overall.

 

Team Sky put in a hugely impressive team performance over a brutal and undulating parcours, with a pair of late attacks propelling Roche into a leading position heading into Scarborough.

 

Thomas Voeckler (Direct Energie) timed his jump to perfection in the final metres to edge out not only the stage win, but the general classification. Roche crossed the line fractions later to secure a strong second overall, six bonus seconds back, in front of a packed crowd on the seafront.

 

Lars Petter Nordhaug and Gianni Moscon were also present in the shake-up, and attacked together over Oliver's Mount to clinch sixth and seventh on the stage, as well as in the overall standings. That was enough to ensure Team Sky took a deserved victory in the team standings.

 

The team set out to make the race difficult from early on, moving up en masse following the fan-lined climb of Sutton Bank. Over the exposed North York Moors roads into Castleton they hit the front again with 90km to go, splitting the peloton apart and sparking into life a highly entertaining race.

 

Andy Fenn, stage two winner Danny van Poppel and Xabier Zandio all dug deep before swinging off, with Pete Kennaugh setting a relentless pace - driving on a group of around 40 riders. Luke Rowe and Moscon also put in massive shifts as the group whittled down further.

 

The race split again following the Cote de Grosmont, yet five riders for Team Sky remained in the echelons. Moscon (three seconds) and Nordhaug (one second) picked up time bonuses in Whitby, but the decisive action came with 28km to go, when Roche attacked on the Cote de Harwood Dale.

 

Adam Yates (Orica-GreenEdge) followed and the pair were joined by Voecker, Steven Kruijswijk (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Anthony Turgis (Cofidis) as the group swelled to five riders.

 

Roche and Voeckler broke clear after an attack on Oliver's Mount, but it was the Frenchman who used all of his experience in the final kilometre to get the jump and secure the victory.

 

"The plan was to do more or less what we did," said Roche after the race. "The guys were really, really good today. This morning we set out the plan. Everyone had a proper role and really committed to what they had to do. Myself and Lars were to attack in the finish which we did. But with Voeckler when it comes to the cat and mouse game he's number one."

 

Sport Director Brett Lancaster was understandably proud of the effort the team showed.

 

"What can you say? It was an incredible day with some really horrible conditions out there for the riders," he told TeamSky.com.

 

"It was our goal to make it hard and it worked well. We had enough guys in the front. Nico did a fantastic job. He was super strong and I would have loved him to get the win. He's been working really hard this year and he's certainly ready for the Giro. The boys rode really well. It would have been really nice to pull off the win but that's cycling. Full credit to Thomas Voeckler - he did a great ride.

 

"Everyone did a great job - Andy, Xabi and Danny doing the early work, then Pete came through for a huge stint. Luke was very strong towards the end and he came back across a few times. He went really deep. Gianni - what can you say. He was amazing today. All the guys rode their hearts out."

 

Excellent Anthony Turgis proves his potential with podium place in Yorkshire

"The legs were there but I made a big effort with Thomas (Voeckler) to return to the three in front,” Anthony Turgis told L’Equipe. “I knew I had to hold on and that I would win the GC if I could follow Roche. I wanted to be there and then I made a small mistake in the descent. Thomas has more experience, there is nothing to say. He knew how to keep some energy and I had worked too much, I'm happy to be with him to learn.”

 

Near-miss for strong Adam Yates in Tour de Yorkshire

2015 Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian winner Adam Yates sprinted to third place for Orica-GreenEDGE on the final stage of the Tour de Yorkshire today finishing fourth on the overall general classification.

 

The result was hard earned by the 23-year-old British rider after a long and arduous stage that included five categorised climbs and saw the race split apart many times before the finish. Yates missed out on third overall by only one second in what proved to be a close run three-day race.

 

Yates and teammate Chris Juul Jensen made it into the final selection after attacks came thick and fast on the final climbs of the stage.

 

Sport director Matt Wilson was happy with the team’s performance throughout the race.

 

“It was a great ride by Adam (Yates) and the team today,” said Wilson. “He had a real crack from the front group with around 30kilometres to go. He was feeling good but couldn’t quite go with the final attack on the last climb. He produced a great effort to finish third on the day and fourth overall.

 

“The team has performed well over the course the course of the race. Obviously we are a little bit disappointed not to have secured a stage win that we came here for,” continued Wilson.

 

“However all in all there are some really encouraging signs going into the Giro d’Italia next week.”

 

Steven Kruijswijk ready for the Giro after great ride in Yorkshite

Steven Kruijswijk finished fifth overall in the Tour de Yorkshire today. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s leader placed fifth in the final stage and ended up in the same position in the general classification. Thomas Voeckler (Direct Energie) won the stage and the overall.

 

“We delivered another strong race today,” Sports Director Merijn Zeeman said. “The team worked hard for Steven Kruijswijk and he was very strong in the final. He was in every break in the end and ended up in front with Nicholas Roche (Team Sky) and Adam Yates (Orica - GreenEDGE) eventually. It’s a pity that Voeckler and Anthony Turgis (Cofidis) were able to bridge up because it would have been a better scenario for Steven if they stayed together with the three of them.”

 

It wasn’t a feeling of disappointment that remained with Zeeman and Kruijswijk after the race, though.

 

“I’m feeling good about this race,” Kruijswijk added. “I wanted to test myself and I succeeded. We worked for Dylan Groenewegen in the last two days and today, it was for me and Primoz Roglic. I rode aggressively today and I got the confirmation that my form is good. I needed this towards the Giro d’Italia.”

 

“This fifth place wasn't a disappointment,” Zeeman continued. “We rode dominantly in these three days. Steven ends up fifth in the general classification and Dylan wins a stage and the points classification. It has been a very strong race for us. I’m proud of the guys.”

 

Nikias Arndt provest hat he is more than a sprinter in brutal Yorkshire queen stage

In the finale, Team Sky pushed really hard and there were some significant splits in the peloton with only about 35 riders left in the bunch including Nikias Arndt. It was a strong ride from Nikias Arndt to be involved in the crucial part of the race and he took a very respectable 10th place finish.

 

Arndt was the highest ranked rider for Giant-Alpecin in the GC in 8th place.

 

Nikias Arndt said: “It was a really hard race today and the aim was to defend our GC position. I was part of the main group but I eventually got dropped. Towards the end, I was in the chasing group and I tried to close the gap because I want to go for a podium finish.

 

“Overall the team did a very good job over the three stages, we can be satisfied but obviously, it would have been nice to take a stage victory. We made the best out of it and we can be happy with our performance. I think the guys are ready for the Giro.”

 

Once the race finished, Luke Roberts said: “Today was extremely tough with a lot of steep climbs and narrow roads to tackle for the riders. The aim was to try and protect the GC position of Nikias.

 

“He showed today that he had very good legs and he was still in contention on the penultimate climb of the race. Unfortunately, when five riders jumped away he just missed it. He tried to go after them on his own but he didn’t quite make it. He raced to 10th place which was very nice and it shows that he is ready for the Giro.”

 

Ben Hermans left frustrated in Yorkshire: I was better last year

Ben Hermans crossed the line in ninth place on the third and final stage of the Tour de Yorkshire to continue BMC’s run of top ten finishes on all three stages. The queen stage didn’t disappoint in terms of action with the peloton catching the initial breakaway before attack after attack was launched.

 

Hermans was joined by Rohan Dennis and Joey Rosskopf at the front of the race in the final 60 kilometers before the winning attacked was launched by Thomas Voeckler.

 

Hermans said
 

“I’m not as explosive as the guys like Roche and Voeckler, especially in these weather conditions. If you are more of an explosive rider I think you have an advantage when it is colder. I could keep going but couldn’t jump like they did. Then you lose 100 meters and you try to close it and then I waited for my teammates, Joey Rosskopf and Rohan Dennis, who did a really good job of working for me. They were dropped, they came back, they worked again. We tried to close the gap with Katusha but those guys in front were strong and couldn’t be brought back.

 

“You cannot be happy when all of the team is working for you and you finish ninth. Last year I did better so I’m not really happy with the result but I am happy that I’m back to a good level. I’ve work hard to get back to a good level and I hope this is a new start after the back problems that I’ve had.”

 

Jackson Stewart, Sports Director, added:
 

“We knew the stage a little bit from last year and it was definitely the hardest stage of the race. The cross winds were really difficult, as too are the roads which are really narrow with lots of turns. It’s never simple here. We had some guys coming back from illness and some guys who were not quite at their best level, but we did a good ride. We couldn’t match Team SKY who set an incredible pace, but we can be happy that we got Ben in the top ten on the stage.

 

“It’s good to see a rider like Rohan coming back in good form following his illness in the early part of the season. Joey was also really strong and he now heads to the Giro d’Italia so this is a good sign. Ben salvaged the race today for us. And then when you look back at the first two stages we had Floris Gerts and Rick Zabel finish in the top ten on both days, which is always good to see and shows the depth of the team. And of course it is nice to see the younger guys get the result.”

 

Nathan Haas wins mountains jersey in Tour De Yorkshire

Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka were part of the action all day as from the gun, Nathan Haas jumped into a 10 rider breakaway. Haas was constantly pushing the pace and looked to be one of the strongest in the break, even collecting a number of points in the King of Mountains competition on some of the early climbs.

 

Team Sky kept the gap small though and with 90km to go, the wind really started to howl which the British team then used to split the race and reel-in Haas and his breakaway companions. The African Team were attentive to the accelerations upfront with Bernie Eisel looking after Serge Pauwels right up at the pointy end of the race.

 

With 28km to go just 20 of the strongest riders remained at the head of the race, Pauwels included. Roche then put in a stinging attack that only Adam Yates (Orica-Greenedge) could follow. It was a dangerous move and it needed an immediate reaction, Pauwels was the first to take responsibility and began the chase.

 

Pauwels was left chasing with a group not all that willing to work together. He came home with the chase group, crossing the line in 12th place which was good enough to secure 9th on the overall classification.

 

As it turned out, even though Haas' break was caught midway through the stage, the Australian had still earned enough King of the Mountian points on the first few climbs of the stage to win the jersey overall. It was a nice classification victory for the African Team to end off a great 3 days of racing in Yorkshire.

 

Nathan Haas said:

 

“Tour of Yorkshire is an incredible race, you just have to look at the crowd here at the finish. This is a stadium for a race that should be much bigger than a 2.1. I have to thank both the Tour of Yorkshire and the council for putting it on but also to Dimension Data for getting behind such an amazing event that we are going to see grow and as Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka, it will be great to be part of that.”

 

Solid ride for ONE Pro Cycling in Yorkshire queen stage

It was an impressive performance by Kiwi Dion Smith to claim 11th on a brutal closing stage at the Tour de Yorkshire and 10th overall on General Classification for ONE Pro Cycling.

 

Similar to the previous two stages an early break was formed, as 10 riders including sprinter Chris Opie left the front of the peloton. Pete Williams not wanting to be left behind attacked off the front of the bunch in a lone effort to bridge the gap but the peloton weren’t keen to let him join his team mate and quickly chased him down. The break quickly increased their advantage to 2 minutes while Team NFTO took to the front of the peloton in a bid to chase it down but found themselves unsuccessful. On the approach to Sutton Hill, an iconic Yorkshire climb and the steepest on the stage, the intensity of the ascent split the break in half. Sprinter Chris Opie put in a great effort and positioned himself well to ensure he remained in the mix at the front of the race.

 

104km covered, current KOM Jersey holder Richard Handley moved to the front of the peloton and attacked with two others making his intentions of joining the break very clear. Successfully bridging the gap Handley didn’t rest as he surged forward taking an impressive 2nd place on the second KOM on ‘Blakley Ridge’, allowing Chris Opie to slip back into the peloton.

 

Descending into Castleton off the back of the ‘Blakley Ridge’ the peloton reached speeds up to 100km per hour, with the high speed splitting the bunch into small groups. Dion Smith, Karol Domagalski and Richard Handley remained in the front part of the group as it was whittled down. Making its way across the brutal North Yorkshire Moors, approximately 50 riders made up the peloton which split into echelons in the severe cross winds. Domagalski and Handley found themselves separated from the group on the exposed and baron roads.

 

Nathan Haas of Dimension Data finished first on 2 of the 6 KOM Classifications leaving him equal on points with Richard Handley. Over the course of the remaining climbs Sky forced the pace splitting the peloton several times. Each time Dion Smith was distanced slightly but showed great resilience as he clawed his way back to the group.

 

Dion Smith crested Oliver’s Mount still in the chase group of 19 but one last attack from SKY saw Nordhaug and Moscon (SKY) break away to finish 20 seconds ahead of his group with him crossing the line in 11th place. Overall victory went to Voeckler with Dion Smith finishing an incredible 10th place overall.

 

Madison Genesis impress against the WorldTour riders in Yorkshire

Tom Stewart and Matt Holmes sealed a pair of top-20 positions on general classification on the third and final day of the Tour de Yorkshire, in a performance Madison Genesis team manager Dave Povall described as a "happy and proud moment."

 

Stewart and Holmes were mixing it with World Tour opposition as the race entered a series of vicious climbs and held their own as the head of the race took shape.

 

With constant attacks from Team Sky, the peloton continued to implode. A very select group of 24 riders made their way south towards Scarborough – Tom Stewart and Matt Holmes remaining at the front.

 

Povall was quick to praise the performance across the team, following three days of highly successful racing, during which a Madison Genesis jersey was always in the thick of the action.

 

"We’re a British based Continental team racing against some of the biggest and strongest teams in the world. Over the course of the last three days we’ve shown we have some young, promising riders taking opportunities and contesting for results and the race itself.

 

"It was not just in the breakaways - we had aspirations for the general classification and each day we had a plan to maximise our chances for that, and pretty much, up until the last 30-kilometres it was done exactly how we wanted it. All in all, I’m really happy and proud of everyone with what they’ve achieved."

 

Bad luck takes Katusha captain out of contention in Yorkshire

The 2nd Tour de Yorkshire came to a conclusion on Sunday with a 198 km road stage from Middlesbrough to Scarborough. While Team Katusha had worked to see results in the 3-day race, some bad luck along the way kept that from happening, but teamwork was still on full display in the British race.

 

“I am not happy with the results, but I am happy with the team. The guys were very active during all three days. Every day somebody was in the break; today we attacked and were in front. But we had some bad luck with the crashes of Bystrom and Machado, and then today’s problem of Losada which occurred in the decisive moment and did not allow us to perform much better,” said director José Azevedo.

 

Team rider Marco Haller was part of an early break of 10 riders. Haller rode in front to protect the interests of Team Katusha’s later ambitions. Later Team Sky took control and split the front of the peloton with team riders Alberto Losada, Angel Vicioso and Jurgen Van den Broeck all in the front group. But with 20 km to go Losada had to change his bike and although Vicioso helped him come back to the front, it was at the moment when another split occurred and this time it was impossible to be on the right side.

 

Losada was part of the large chasing group at over one-minute behind.

 

“I am sure without this happening that Alberto would have been among those fighting for a high place,” concluded director Azevedo.

 

Alberto Losada and Jurgen Van den Broeck took 13th and 14th places, respectively, in final general classification.

 

No success for Roompot at Tour de Yorkshire

The second edition of the Tour de Yorkshire did not bring Roompot - Orange Peloton the success of last year. Apart from places of honor for Huub Duijn and André Looij, the riders of team manager Jean-Paul van Poppel could not interfere in the battle for the top places.

 

Pieter Weening ended the race after just 350m. In a massive crash he suffered a rib injury. He left the race in the first feed zone.Without Barry Markus and André Looij who were dropped, Huub Duijn finished 17th for the team in the first stage.

 

In the second stage, André Looij was 15th. On Sunday, Nick van der Lijke and Ivar Slik were in action.The duo was part of a breakaway. In the final the orange riders came up short.  Marc de Maar did not reach the finish line. He again suffered from the knee injury that hasbothered him in recent months and had to abandon.