Team Sky produced the consummate team performance on the fifth stage of the Tour of Britain to ensure Sir Bradley Wiggins and Ian Stannard retained their places at the top of the overall standings.

Josh Edmondson, Bernhard Eisel and Mathew Hayman rode hard for over 150km in order to control the peloton as they headed onto the two ascents of Caerphilly Mountain, and then David Lopez and Stannard chased down repeated attacks in the last 13km before shepherding Wiggins into an elite group of 15 riders who emerged to contest the stage win.

It was Sam Bennett who was the surprise victor, with the AN Post Chain Reaction rider timing his late sprint to perfection to outpace Michal Golas (Omega Pharma – Qucik-Step) and Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling) in Caerphilly. Wiggins and Stannard rolled home in seventh and ninth places respectively to defend their positions at the top of the general classification, where Wiggins still sits 37 seconds ahead of his team-mate.

"I knew the route today because I rode it last week and I knew it was going to be the queen stage of the race. I keep saying it but you're nothing without your team and the boys ridden all day once again to control the race.”

"In the end I used David Lopez and Ian for as long as possible, right to the last kilometre, and they left me with nothing to do other than sit there until the end”

"I don't have the accelerations on the climbs that Dan [Martin] and Nairo Quintana have, but I just time trial because I know how to pace my effort and it works - I won the Tour de France like that.”

"It's been a long road to get back to that level but I've worked hard for a good 20 weeks to be in this condition and this is what it's all about."