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Wout van Aert wins Tour of Britain title as Carlos Rodríguez takes final stage

• Van Aert’s second-place finish enough to secure second title
• ‘I had a really hard time. I didn’t think it was possible’

Second place on the climbing stage into Caerphilly secured Wout van Aert his second overall title in the Tour of Britain. Compared with his 2021 victory , however, this was far from straightforward although his fine form had been clear from day one.

Through the hills of south Wales, Ineos’s Spanish starlet Carlos Rodríguez, the eventual stage winner, formed an impromptu alliance with local rider Steve Williams to push Van Aert to the edge, in the first of the eight stages where the Belgian’s Jumbo-Visma team were unable to exert any real grip on proceedings.

After Williams – who was guesting for Great Britain here – and Rodríguez had sprung clear on the climb of Bryn Du, high above Aberdare in the heart of the Rhondda, Van Aert’s teammates had been scattered to the four winds on the high moorland and the two strongest climbers in the race were rapidly forging a healthy advantage ahead of a small chase group, Van Aert faced the prospect of losing the race lead he had taken in winning Thursday’s stage into Felixstowe . “I had a really hard time, I didn’t think it was possible to take the general classification.”

The 28-year-old’s only option was to remain calm and hope that enough of his teammates could battle their way up to him, and that they and other squads would take the strain before the race arrived at the final brace of climbs over Caerphilly Mountain in the last eight miles. “I tried to stay calm, as I knew there were two climbers in front, and they would spend a lot of energy getting to the finish circuit.”

In the hiatus while he waited for Steven Kruijswijk and Nathan Van Hooydonck to catch up, Williams and Rodríguez raced into a lead that briefly exceeded 90 seconds.

With several other teams assisting Jumbo-Visma, the duo’s lead evaporated like the puddles from the rain showers that had greeted the race when it entered the hills, and on reaching Caerphilly they were only a handful of seconds ahead.

The first climb of the mountain broke Williams, a 27-year-old from Aberystwyth who has quietly forged a good career racing for the Bahrain-Merida and Israel-Premier Tech team, and who this year had won the Arctic Race of Norway. Rodríguez forged ahead on his own, but although he has had an outstanding year with a stage win and fifth overall in the Tour de France, he was less of a threat to Van Aert, having lost time in a crash in the Cotswolds on Saturday’s stage into Gloucester.

The Spaniard needed to finish 40sec ahead of Van Aert and his 20sec advantage with one 7km lap of the finish circuit put the race in the balance. With no teammates left at his side, the Belgian had to control the Spaniard’s lead while simultaneously ensuring that he did not crack, and that he did not lose ground to three threats for the overall title: Rodríguez’s Ineos teammate Magnus Sheffield, the Norwegian Tobias Johannessen and the Australian Damien Howson, all of whom were a slender 3sec behind him overall.

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While Rodríguez did give the Ineos team a consolatory stage win after the withdrawal of their marquee rider Tom Pidcock on Saturday, he was only 11sec ahead of Van Aert on the line, giving the Belgian his third road race win of 2023. He has had a frustrating mid-season, and it was about time he got the rub of the green.

This was a fine crescendo to a slow-burning week marked by six mass finishes in the first six stages, with 52 riders level on time 3sec behind Van Aert after Friday’s stage into Harlow , but it was far from plain sailing, with this most important climbing stage in effect split into two by a lengthy pause from racing with between 87km and 77km to go, when the race briefly stopped twice and then took a diversion to avoid a stretch of road which had been closed by an accident involving a motorcyclist. The incident was unrelated to the race, but it meant that the entire convoy had to be guided through back streets with racing neutralised and the bunch travelling at controlled speed.

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Tour of Britain stage 5: Wout van Aert powers to victory with final kilometre attack

Jumbo-Visma dominance continues in a different flavour as Olav Kooij repays his teammate

Matilda Price

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Wout van Aert won stage 5 of the Tour of Britain

A final-kilometre attack from Wout van Aert earned Jumbo-Visma their fifth win in a row at the Tour of Britain , with four-time stage winner Olav Kooij handing over victory to his invaluable lead-out rider in Felixstowe.

The whole squad taking a wrong turn on a roundabout in the final 10km threatened to let a team other than Jumbo-Visma win a stage of this year’s race, but the yellow and black jerseys were soon back at the front of the peloton, leading into a late flyer for Van Aert.

Ethan Vernon (Great Britain) took second from the bunch ahead of Danny van Poppel (Bora-Hansgrohe) in third. Van Aert’s small gap on the line will see him move into the race lead with three days remaining.

Joey Rosskopf (Q36.5 Pro Cycling), Abram Stockman (TDT-Unibet) and Callum Ormiston (Global 6 Cycling) had been up the road for most of the 192km stage, but were brought back before the final.

“I’m feeling really happy of course,” Van Aert said after taking what was only his second road win of the year. “It’s always tricky to make a plan like that, and if you can execute it like this it’s a lot of satisfaction. Another great day for the team, and I’m really, really proud of this one.

“Yesterday evening we had a look at the final corners, talking about the lead-out, and first I came up with [the plan to attack] as a joke slash idea, and we started to think about it. We knew even if someone would respond immediately that the bunch would still be stretched out and Olav would still have a good chance of winning the sprint, so we tried something else.

“I think that’s a nice thing about cycling, enough times it’s boring and you can expect what’s going to happen, so it’s nice to spice things up.”

A change in result after four similar stages

Stage 5 of the Tour of Britain headed to the east of England, starting and finishing in Felixstowe and taking in a 192km loop around Suffolk, making it the longest stage of this year’s race.

As with many of the stages, the day kicked off with a fast battle for the breakaway. Five riders got away fairly quickly, with King of the Mountains leader James Fouché (Bolton Equities Black Spoke) joined by Harry Birchill (Saint Piran), Kamil Małecki (Q36.5 Pro Cycling), Hartthijs De Vries (TDT-Unibet) and Jack Brough (Great Britain). However, unlike the preceding stages, the peloton were not particularly keen for this group to get too far ahead, keeping the gap very small before catching them again before the first climb after just 20km of racing.

Fouché still managed to crest the climb first to add to his KoM lead, but missed out on the next break that went. The new group was made up of Joey Rosskopf (Q36.5 Pro Cycling), Abram Stockman (TDT-Unibet) and Callum Ormiston (Global 6 Cycling). This move was allowed to go, and the trio soon had a three-minute lead as the situation finally calmed down.

Stockman won both the KoM and the intermediate sprint, and then from there the race was very quiet with no more point-scoring opportunities in the 127km remaining. Naturally, it was once again Jumbo-Visma who were controlling things, but they were clearly feeling a little more generous towards the break on a sunny day in Suffolk.

After a long stretch of very little happening, the peloton finally started to ramp up the chase going into the final 40km, and the gap gradually began to shrink. It was down to 30 seconds with 24km remaining, with Ineos Grenadiers glued to the wheels of the Jumbo riders charged with closing the gap. Olav Kooij and Wout van Aert were not seen putting their noses in the win at any time during the chase, showing just how much they’ve been able to save for the sprint finishes this week.

Ormiston was the first to drop out of the break, with 20km to go, followed by Stockman, whilst Rosskopf pushed on for the longest, holding on valiantly until he was caught with 5km to go.

Approaching the finale, some teams did try to get in the way of Jumbo-Visma’s lead-out, but it was an error on a roundabout with 7km to go - where the Jumbo train went the wrong way - that really caused the Dutch team some problems, but they soon found their way back to the front for the finale.

Van Aert was on the front of the peloton heading into the final kilometre, appearing to be setting up another sprint for Kooij, but going into one of last corners Kooij slightly grabbed the breaks round the bend, slowing up the peloton and letting Van Aert accelerate away from the bunch. A moment of hesitation from the peloton and the blocking action from the slowing Jumbo riders allowed Van Aert to get an immediate jump, which the strong Belgian was able to hold all the way to the line, holding off the sprinting peloton behind.

It was Ethan Vernon who sprinted to second just ahead of Danny van Poppel, with Kooij out of the placings for the first time this race, instead sitting up across the line to celebrate yet another win for his team, this time a result of not just strength but a successful tactical play.

The first rider to finish with any kind of time gap, Van Aert goes into the race lead - taking the jersey from Kooij - three seconds ahead of Vernon and Max Kanter (Movistar) on the virtual podium.

Visit our Tour of Britain race page for all the latest news, information and results from the race.

Tour of Britain - Stage 5

• Dates 7 Sept
• Race Length 192 kms
• Start Felixstowe
• Finish Felixstowe
• Race Category Elite Men

Jumbo-Visma

• Nationality Netherlands
• Founded 1984
• Team Principal Richard Plugge
• UCI Code TJV
• Bike Sponsor Cervélo

Wout van Aert

• Team Team Visma | Lease a Bike
• Nationality Belgium
• UCI Wins 46
• Height 1.9m

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Tour of Britain

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Race information

• Date: 12 September 2021
• Start time: 11:45 (12:45 CET)
• Avg. speed winner: 41.866 km/h
• Race category: ME - Men Elite
• Distance: 173 km
• Points scale: 2.PRO.Stage
• UCI scale: UCI.WR.HC.Stage - TM2022
• Parcours type:
• ProfileScore: 40
• Vert. meters: 1920
• Departure: Stonehaven
• Arrival: Aberdeen
• Race ranking: 42
• Startlist quality score: 435
• Won how: Sprint of large group
• Avg. temperature:

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Tour of Britain 2023 Route stage 8: Margam Country Park - Caerphilly

The first half of the race is virtually flat, so that makes the second even more trying, as virtually all elevation gain is crammed inside 85 kilometres. The first ascent is the non-classified Blwch Mountain – 3.4 kilometres at 6.4% – before the riders further penetrate Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, which was until recently known by its English name Brecon Beacons.

The first KOM climbs of the day are Rhigos and Bryn Du, respectively 5.8 kilometres at 5.1% and 3.1 kilometres at 8.4%. Two more none-KOM climbs (2.8 kilometres at 6.8% and 600 metres at 10.2%) precede some 20 kilometres on the flat before the first passage on the line takes place with 15 kilometres to go.

The finishing circuit revolves around Caerphilly Mountain. The climb totals 1.7 kilometres and the average gradients sits at 8.3%, while most vertical meters are bridged in the last kilometre. This section goes up at 12%.

As said, the wall-like ascent is tackled twice before the Tour of Britain ends with a flying descent into Caerphilly.

Ride the route yourself? Download GPX stage 8 .

Another interesting read: results 8th stage + final GC 2023 Tour of Britain.

Tour of Britain 2023 – stage 8: route, profile, more

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Tour of Britain

One of the highlights of the cycling calendar, the Tour of Britain travels around country to bring the action to as many fans as possible. The event is synonymous with big crowds and close, spectacular racing.

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Tour of Britain 2024 Preview

Tour of Britain is a multi-day race on the roads of Great Britain, and has a category UCI 2.1. The race was organized in 1945, since then its status has been constantly changing. In 2004 the race received its current category and since then it has been held regularly.

In 2024, the event will take place between September 1 to 8. Within these eight days, the racers will pass through a number of towns and cities with numerous chances for the fans to spectate and pitch up. The 16th edition of the tour is expected to be much more difficult. The competitors will start in Glasgow and finish in London as before. This year, the riders will have to pass as many as 1308.5 km. Although there are more hill stages, some of the participants predict that the route will not be much easier than last year. Only at the finishing two stages of the race, the riders will enjoy flat runs on the contrast to other hilly stages.

Cycling events in Europe have largely been more popular in France, Spain, and Italy thanks to the presence of races like the Tour de France. They form part of the Grand Tour which requires riders to go through some extremely tough stages before getting the ultimate glory. Professional cycling events in Britain have not attained the same popularity, but several changes to the Tour of Britain are starting to have its effect. After all the Tour of Britain is the most popular professional cycling race in the United Kingdom.

The most recent edition of the Tour of Britain took place in 2015. This was the 12th edition of the event, which underwent major changes in 2004 to make it competitive on the international front. The first edition of the race took place in 1945 – much later than the Tour de France. There was a brief hiatus after the 1999 edition. Following several restructures, the event resumed in 2004. Even though it started out as a five-stage event, recent editions of the cycling Tour of Britain have been held as an eight-stage event. Now, this number will be increased to nine for the Tour of Britain 2024.

Since coming into the UCI Europe Tour, the Tour of Britain route has become much more complex with large predominance for early stages. Twenty teams took part in the 2015 edition that started on September 6. The entire event comprised of only three hilly stages and one medium mountain stage with the rest being flat stages. The event was dominated by three teams – Team Sky, Movistar Team, and Etixx–Quick-Step. Even though they managed to grab individual stages, Cannondale–Garmin managed to win the overall team classification by finishing 5′ 35″ ahead of Team Sky.

Elia Viviani of Italy came out on top when stage victories were taken into account. He managed to grab three stage wins out of eight. Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway, though, was crowned as the champion as per the general classifications. He ended up walking away with the yellow jersey followed by Wout Poels and Owain Doull. As a British event, the race received a boost with three Brits managing to win the points, general, and sprints classification.

The Tour of Britain 2024 is expected to be much more difficult. The race starts in Glasgow and will end in London as ever. This time around, the stages cover a whopping 1308.5 km. Even though there are more hill stages, several riders are of the opinion that the 2024 route will not be much easier than in the previous edition. Only the final two stages of the event are flat runs with all the rest being hilly stages.

The Tour of Britain dates for the upcoming edition were announced as early as in February. The Tour is also seen as a great opportunity for riders to prepare for the upcoming World Championships in Doha, Qatar, which starts only three weeks after the Tour of Britain ends.

Exclusive: Men’s Tour of Britain stages cut to seek parity for women’s race

British Cycling aim to increase women’s Tour of Britain to six stages in 2025 in order to create full parity between the two events

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The men’s Tour of Britain will be cut to six stages in 2024 in order to lay the foundations for full parity with its women’s equivalent in the years ahead, Cycling Weekly has learned.

It follows on from the national governing body announcing it will organise both races in house under its new major events arm . 

In a statement shared with Cycling Weekly on Wednesday, British Cycling CEO Jon Dutton confirmed the details of the plan and explained that talks were scheduled with the UCI in order to gain permission to scale back the ProTour event. 

"We’ve taken the decision to run the 2024 edition of the Tour of Britain Men over six days rather than the current eight, and we intend to seek permission from the UCI to extend the Tour of Britain Women to six days from 2025," he said. 

"This would bring full parity to the events after our decision to align the event names this year – something which is fundamental to our vision for major cycling events in Britain."

Cycling Weekly understands that full parity includes the overall length of the race as well as future prize money at this stage. 

British Cycling has contacted various men’s teams to gather opinion on the potential reduction of race days. Dutton explained that there was support for the decision for a variety of reasons. 

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"From discussions with a number of men’s teams over recent weeks there is strong support for the decision, and a feeling that the reduction in the number of stages will provide more compelling and animated racing for riders at the roadside to enjoy," he explained. 

Cycling Weekly revealed last month that the shortened Tour of Britain Women is set to start in Wales in June . 

Dutton said that full route details regarding the women's race would be made public within the next fortnight. 

He said: "Our host towns and cities for the Tour of Britain Women will be announced within the next two weeks, and we are also now very close to finalising our hosts for the Tour of Britain Men. 

"Our team has worked around the clock to safeguard the future of the races in an incredibly short timeframe, and we’re also hugely thankful for the commitment of those who have stepped forward to support us this year and those that have pledged their support for 2025 and beyond.

"While 2024 was always going to be about protecting the immediate future of the races, we remain hugely excited by the opportunities to modernise and grow the events in the years ahead." 

British Cycling took over the organisation of both events after the collapse of the former promoter, SweetSpot . After being beset by financial difficulty, the firm entered liquidation in January . 

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Tom joined Cycling Weekly in early 2022 and his news stories, rider interviews and features appear both online and in the magazine. 

He has reported from some of professional cycling's biggest races and events including the Tour de France and the recent Glasgow World Championships. He has also covered races elsewhere across the world and interviewed some of the sport's top riders including Tom Pidcock, Wout van Aert, Primož Roglič and Lizzie Deignan. 

When not writing news scoops from the WorldTour, or covering stories from elsewhere in the domestic professional scene, he reports on goings on at bike shops up and down the UK, where he is based when not out on the road at races. He has also appeared on the Radio Cycling podcast. 

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Tour of Britain Women stages announced as countdown to Grand Départ begins

The hosts of the 2024 Tour of Britain Women stages have today been announced, as preparations for the inaugural edition of the race progress ahead of the Grand Départ in Welshpool on Thursday 6 June.

The race will see the world’s top female riders and teams go head-to-head across four tough stages of racing, in what will be the first major international stage race delivered by British Cycling Events. 

Hundreds of thousands of fans will line the streets for what is the nation’s biggest free-to-attend sporting event, as the country gears up for another thrilling summer of cycling.

This year’s race will feature a number of familiar start and finish locations which have successfully hosted major international events in recent years.

The race will begin in Welshpool, situated in the heart of mid-Wales. Welshpool hosted the thrilling finish of stage four of the 2022 Women’s Tour, where Australia’s Grace Brown (FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine Futuroscope) sprinted to victory. The stage will see riders head north to the picturesque seaside town of Llandudno, in what will be a challenging start to the race. 

Stage two will see riders stay in Wales for a start and finish in Wrexham, which also featured in the 2022 Women’s Tour. The rolling route will take in a series of challenging climbs in the dramatic Clwydian Range and Dee Valley, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Wales.

The caravan then will cross the Welsh border to the north-west of England, where Warrington will host both the start and finish of stage three on Saturday, with a flatter route that will favour the sprinters. Warrington welcomed the men’s Tour of Britain in 2021, where Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) claimed a memorable stage win.

The race will then conclude in Greater Manchester, as part of the city region’s European Capital of Cycling celebrations. Riders will depart from the National Cycling Centre, the home of British Cycling, before taking in some of the region’s challenging climbs before they reach the finish line in Leigh, where the race winner will be crowned.

Full routes for each of the stages, along with the teams and riders competing, will be announced in the coming weeks.

“A monumental effort”

The race route has been designed and agreed in just 10 weeks, when we launched our new vision for major cycling events in Britain, thanks to the hard work and support of an experienced team of event staff. We’d also like to extend our gratitude to Welsh Government, Conwy County Borough Council, Powys County Council, Wrexham County Borough Council, Warrington Borough Council, Manchester Active and others who have demonstrated such enthusiastic support for the race. 

Jon Dutton OBE, CEO of British Cycling, said:

“Today is another important milestone in our journey and reflective of the enormous goodwill and support which major road cycling events continue to enjoy.

“Our primary focus has been to deliver a safe and competitive race in 2024, and while there is still a great deal of work to do, we remain every bit as determined to harness the race’s spotlight to make a real impact in the communities which it touches. We know that it is a vision which resonates strongly in the positive conversations we’ve been having with prospective commercial partners and hosts which continues to be extremely encouraging.”

Rod Ellingworth, who was announced as Tour of Britain Race Director in March this year, said: 

“It’s been a monumental effort by the whole team over the past 10 weeks to confirm the stages for this year’s Tour of Britain Women. The race will take in four competitive and challenging routes, some challenging climbing in Wales and what I’m sure will be brilliant crowds on the roadside throughout.”

Lizzie Deignan, former road world champion and Olympic silver medallist, said:  

“It’s always special to race in Britain, and I’m so pleased to have two top level stage races to look forward to on home soil as I ramp up my preparations for a busy summer ahead.  

“There’s clearly so much support and fondness for the race, both at home and further afield. The four stage hosts deserve credit for their commitment to women’s racing and for helping to make the race happen, and I’m sure that together we can put on a brilliant show in June.”

Earlier this month, British Cycling announced that the Tour of Britain Men would be delivered over six days in 2024, with an ambition to bring future parity to the two national tours, following the alignment of the event names in 2024.

Positive conversations continue with a number of commercial partners along with towns and cities interested in hosting future stages of both the men’s and women’s events. 

“An opportunity to showcase the best of our area”

Jeremy Miles, Welsh Government Economy Secretary, said:

“Wales and cycling go hand in hand, with our spectacular scenery and routes providing elite and recreational cyclists alike with both challenge and enjoyment.

“This is a welcome return to Wales for this fantastic event and provides an excellent opportunity to showcase Welshpool, Llandudno, Wrexham and the surrounding area to an ever-growing cycling audience. We are very pleased to have been able to support the event and look forward to providing a warm ‘Croeso’ to all in June.”

Diane Reynolds, Powys County Council’s Director of Economic Development and Growth, said:

“We are delighted that this year’s Tour of Britain Women is going to start in Powys, from one of our many beautiful market towns, Welshpool.

“It is a town that cycling enthusiasts will enjoy visiting and the area includes many places of interest, and lots of great places to eat or drink a coffee while taking in the race action and exceptional scenery.”

Councillor Nigel Williams, Lead member for Economy and Regeneration, Wrexham, said: 

“Once again the sporting spotlight will be on Wrexham as we continue to be a welcoming location for national events.

“After the success of last year’s Tour of Britain we have another opportunity to showcase the best of our area and this will bring huge benefits to the local economy.

“I know many enthusiasts will be looking forward to the event and to seeing the elite of British cycling as they race through the area. It will give many within the city centre and surrounding areas the opportunity to give the cyclists a warm Welsh welcome to Wrexham as they pass through.”

Professor Steven Broomhead MBE, Warrington Borough Council Chief Executive, said:

“Following the success of the men’s Tour of Britain stage finish in 2021, it’s great news that Warrington will host the pinnacle of the sport again, this time with both a start and finish for the Tour of Britain Women.

“We’re pleased to be playing our part in celebrating some of the world’s greatest cyclists, bringing elite sport back to Warrington once again. It will be a fantastic showcase that will equally generate societal, health and wellbeing benefits.”

Eamonn O’Rourke, CEO of Manchester Active, said:

“In the year Manchester was successful in becoming the very first European Capital of Cycling, we are delighted to be announced as a host stage for the 2024 Tour of Britain Women. 

“Hosting such a prestigious event cements Manchester’s commitment to supporting women’s sport at all levels, and our dedication to encourage more women and girls to participate in sport and physical activity. Having hosted the Men’s Tour of Britain back in 2019 and more recently, the Grand Depart in 2023, it is a real honour to welcome and support the women’s stage to Manchester.

“We're also thrilled that the route will commence from the National Cycling Centre, our world-famous ‘medal factory’ and home of British Cycling, providing a spectacular backdrop for the start of this stage – a unique opportunity only available when hosting cycling events in Manchester.”

Tour of Britain Women 2024:

• Stage 1 – Thursday 6 June 2024: Welshpool to Llandudno 
• Stage 2 – Friday 7 June 2024: Wrexham 
• Stage 3 – Saturday 8 June 2024: Warrington 
• Stage 4 – Sunday 9 June 2024: Greater Manchester

Weekend racing round-up: Junior National Road Series and more!

This weekend saw the second rounds of the Junior Open National Road Series over in Wales and the Youth Circuit Series at Hog Hill, while abroad we had British wins in track, road and mountain bike.

World champion Hatton dominates in Rheola as Gale storms to victory at opening National Downhill Series round

World champion Charlie Hatton battled tough conditions at the opening round of the National Downhill Series in Rheola to take the elite open win, as Phoebe Gale relished in the wet conditions to secure the elite women’s victory.

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Tour of Britain 2022 Preview - A hilly profile for home favourite Pidcock

Day one summit finish could prove to be GC decider, with mix of sprints and hills throughout the week

The 18th edition of the modern Tour of Britain kicks off with its northernmost start on Sunday, with 108 riders setting off from Aberdeen ahead of eight stages that will culminate in a first-ever visit to the Isle of Wight.

There's no time trial at this year's race but an opening day summit finish, as well as several hilly stages including the final day, look set to determine the destination of the new-look leader's jersey.

Chief among the contenders for that red jersey will be Ineos Grenadiers, the home team who boast what is on paper easily the strongest squad at this year's race. The Tour of Britain marks the final race of Richie Porte 's career. The 37-year-old, who has Paris-Nice, the Tour de Suisse, and the Critérium du Dauphiné among his career palmarès, is part of a powerful lineup this week.

Tom Pidcock will lead the British team. The 23-year-old, who won on L'Alpe d'Huez at the Tour de France, is among the major favourites for the overall win at the race. As well as Porte, he'll be able to rely on Amstel Gold Race winner Michał Kwiatkowski and Brabantse Pijl winner Magnus Sheffield in his bid for glory.

The other major name in contention for the red jersey is Israel-Premier Tech newcomer Dylan Teuns , who undertakes his first stage race for the team since his mid-season transfer. The Belgian, who won Le Flèche Wallonne this spring, has three race days under his belt since the August 5 move.

Having won the Tour de Pologne, Tour de Wallonie, and Arctic Race of Norway in the past, Teuns is well-suited to this style of race and will be a major contender for the win. Climber Michael Woods is also on the ISN team following his early Vuelta a España abandon, with the duo set to make a formidable pairing as the team searches for valuable UCI points.

Bora-Hansgrohe are the next of the five WorldTour teams lining up at the race. 2019 Tour of Turkey winner Felix Großschartner lines up as the leader at the German squad, the pair also among the favourites for overall glory on the Isle of Man.

Shane Archbold, Jordi Meeus, and Marco Haller will spearhead the team's lead-out train, while Nils Politt is another option to contest for stage victories.

At Team DSM, sprinter Cees Bol will be looking to add to his five-win haul during his time at the squad, which is set to come to a close with him moving on for 2023. The 27-year-old is among the strongest sprinters on the start list and will be confident of a victory, while Chris Hamilton is an option on the hilly stages among a young squad.

Movistar, meanwhile, come equipped with the versatile Matteo Jorgenson , who finished fourth at the Tour de la Provence and was a breakaway staple at the Tour de France. He and Oscar Rodríguez will lead the team's charge as they seek a UCI points haul to stave off the relegation threat.

Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè will be led by the highly rated Filippo Zana, who moves to BikeExchange-Jayco next year, while Sacha Modolo is their man for the sprints. Uno-X have young duo Anthon Charmig and Anders Halland Johannessen to rely on for an overall bid. Trinity Racing, meanwhile, will be led by Thomas Gloag , the young British climber soon to turn pro with Jumbo-Visma.

Walls, Bol, and Modolo are among the top sprinters at the race, look out too for Jake Stewart (Great Britain), Kenneth Van Rooy (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise), and Eduard Prades (Caja Rural-Seguros SGA) in the bid for the blue points jersey.

With red and blue taken, those hoping to compete for the mountain classification will be taking aim at green, while the white intermediate sprint jersey is something extra for the breakaway men to fight for.

Those riders and the rest of the peloton will be doing battle on a varied terrain over the next week, starting with the queen stage of the race in a bold move from the organisers. The opener, 181.3km from 2021 finish host Aberdeen to the Glenshee Ski Centre, will take in three smaller hills before a long drag towards the final climb.

There, the GC hopefuls should do battle on the 8.3km, 3.1% slopes. The toughest test of the day, though, and likely the best place to watch the riders suffer, is the Suie Hill climb at 82.5km. The peloton will be taking on double-digit gradients on the 1.9km, 8.6% hill.

Stage 2 brings more hills, with a cluster of them coming towards the end of the 175.2km run from Hawick to Duns in the Scottish Borders. The day will be marked by rolling roads for the most part, before packing three third-category climbs into the final 25km, the last of which comes just 6km from the line. A day for punchy sprinters and the hilly specialists.

The next day brings the peloton into England for the first time as the race loops around the north-east from Durham to Sunderland. The first-category climb of Chapel Fell (4.1km at 7.8%) is the biggest challenge of the day, but the 163.6km stage is set to be one for the sprinters with a rolling run to the line.

Stage 4 moves further down the North Sea coast as the peloton heads 149.5km from Redcar to Duncombe Park. Despite two first-category climbs along the way – including the Robin Hood's Bay climb lifted from the Tour de Yorkshire – before a downhill run over the last 10km which could suit any late attackers who jump away on the road to the late final intermediate sprint of the day.

The race's fifth stage to Mansfield is set to play host to another sprint finish, with just two third-category climbs dotted along the route of the 186.8km stage. Once again, there are some small lumps and rises in the final kilometres, but not enough to provoke any race-altering attacks.

The peloton races around the south-west of England on stage 6 as they head 170.9km from Tewkesbury to Gloucester. Three small classified climbs are placed throughout the stage but none are close enough to the finish to launch any major attacks. One unclassified 2.2km, 5.7% climb lies 10km from the line, though, which is a chance for someone to disrupt the sprinters.

It's another day, another sprint on stage 7. The race to Ferndown near Bournemouth on the south coast. Again, there are three classified climbs on the route, but none look set to affect the finish, which features the flattest run-in of the race ahead of an uphill dash to the line.

As the race started with a summit finish, it's only right that it concludes with another uphill test. Though not as tough as the Glenshee Ski Centre climb, there are some harsh double-digit gradients on the 400-metre uphill run to The Needles on the Isle of Wight.

The 148.9km stage on the historic first visit to the island criss-crosses all over the Isle of Wight and brings two first-category and two second-category hills (including the finish) as the race draws to a close. The mountain classification could be decided on this final day and, if the GC race is close, that could be settled on the challenging finish at The Needles, too.

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Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Prior to joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly and Rouleur.

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France, World Championships, and the spring Classics. They have interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Mathieu van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel, Demi Vollering, and Anna van der Breggen.

As well as original reporting, news and feature writing, and production work, Dani also oversees How to Watch guides and works on The Leadout newsletter throughout the season. Their favourite races are Strade Bianche and Paris-Roubaix and their favourite published article is from the 2024 edition of the latter: 'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix

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Money latest: TV star banned from flight over passport issue; 'child-free' pub triggers outrage

A new mother contacted us asking about her employment rights after maternity leave - and we've enlisted the help of a legal expert. Read this and all the latest consumer and personal finance news in the Money blog - and share your own Money Problem in the form below.

Monday 15 April 2024 20:59, UK

• Spotlight on unpaid carers: 'I'm a prisoner' - Mother spending pension looking after son, 41, with cerebral palsy
• Money Problem: My boss ruined end of maternity leave with ultimatum - what are my rights?
• TV star banned from flight over passport issue
• Financial markets take Middle East escalation in their stride

Essential reads

• How to earn thousands letting film and music stars shoot in your home
• Britons are buying homes, having babies, getting married and retiring later - but one key life event is happening earlier
• How your neighbour's garden could wipe up to £57,000 from your house price
• 'WTF is going on with the price of olive oil?'
• Cheap Eats: Great British Menu legend shares ultimate toastie recipe

Ask a question or make a comment

HMRC has overpaid its own staff millions of pounds over the past 10 years, according to The Telegraph. 

In total, £12.6m has been pocketed by employees but only £12.3m has been paid back, leaving a £300,000 shortfall. 

The news outlet said some 250 staff were overpaid by more than £1,000 last year. 

Some of the overpayments were caused by payroll failing to stop salary payments for people who had left the company, it added. 

The revelation comes after the tax office controversially decided to close its helplines for six months. 

"With a staff headcount of almost 67,500, we operate at a monthly payroll average accuracy rate of 99.54%, which exceeds the corporate benchmark of 98%," a HMRC spokesperson said.

"Our total pay bill in the 2022/23 financial year was £2.449bn* which means that 0.05% was incorrectly paid that year, and we have recovered over 84% of that.

"We have robust processes in place for the recovery of over and underpayments and all staff are provided with guidance on the importance of checking the payment of their salary."

Asda has become the first UK supermarket to launch an online prescription service. 

The Asda Online Pharmacy allows patients to manage prescriptions digitally and have them delivered to their home

All requests will undergo thorough checks by qualified pharmacists before being approved.

From today, new patients can register for the service by visiting pharmacy.asda.com. 

Dr Martens has filed a lawsuit against online retailer Temu for allegedly infringing its trademarks, according to The Times. 

The British bootmaker has alleged that the online retailer paid Google to advertise boots sold on its site when users search keywords including "Dr Martens", it said. 

As a result, Temu's lookalike products were placed about Dr Martens' own in search results. 

The move is the latest sign of growing hostility between Western retailers and their cheaper Chinese rivals. 

Temu told Sky News it was yet to receive the complaint and will review it in due course.  

Tesla is cutting 10% of its global workforce in a bid to reduce costs and bolster productivity, it has been reported.

The electric vehicle maker, founded and run by Elon Musk, was yet to comment on a story earlier today by Electrek that it was to axe about 15,000 people.

The tech publication said the cuts were revealed in an internal memo - also seen by the Reuters news agency.

It added that managers had been tasked earlier this year with identifying key personnel.

The company, which had more than 140,000 staff at the end of last year, has been struggling with soft demand for its electric vehicles.

The average UK tenant is spending 30.6% of their salary on rent, data shows.

Many experts believe that a third of your earnings is considered the outer limit for affordability.

But in several areas of the UK, people are spending considerably more, an index created by Canopy has shown.

Tenants in Poole have been found to be struggling most with affordability, with the average renter giving more than 40% of their income to their landlord. 

Stirling has also made a surprising inclusion in the top 10 places, with a low average income meaning tenants are spending 37.8% of their wages on rent. 

Belfast was found to be the most affordable major city for renters, with people spending just over a quarter of their salary in rent (23.2%), on average. 

Here are the 10 places people spend the highest percentage of their income on rent: 

Chris Hutchinson, chief executive of Canopy, said the data showed homeowners spend an average of 18% of their income on their mortgage. 

"It is sobering to see that one in five tenants are spending the vast majority of their salary on rental payments, and it neatly encapsulates the tricky situation that many tenants with aspirations of homeownership are in," he said. 

"Where we could see positive change is towards longer tenancies for those who desire them, fostering greater security for families and communities."

Up until 1995, children were effectively banned from all public houses in England and Wales, leaving parents with no option but to arrange - and in many cases pay for - alternative childcare if they wished to visit licensed premises.

Among other consequences of this change, legal guardians of all kinds have since been able to avoid such expenses by popping out for a pub lunch, for example, with their respective minors in tow.

However, while it is now perfectly legal for pubs to allow children in, it remains within the power of licensees to forbid the attendance of people under the age of 18. 

And while relatively few establishments choose to exercise this right, one such watering hole has sparked a rather intense debate around the issue.

In a post that had been viewed more than 18 million times at the time of writing, a man is pictured next to a sign indicating children (unlike dogs) are not permitted inside an unnamed pub - beneath a message that suggests the post's author approves of the policy.

While some on X expressed support or sympathy for the stance, many others were rather less sanguine.

Among the criticisms was the impact the stance might have on single parents - while others highlighted the financial drain of babysitters that might render a trip to the pub in question impossible for some parents.

The point was made by some users that other licensed premises were available for parents facing such a predicament. Perhaps unsurprisingly though, this seemingly pragmatic observation appears to have done little to quell the anger of those most outraged by the publican behind the child-unfriendly edict. 

It's no secret that electrical devices feast on your power supply even if they're in standby mode... 

But do you know how much these "vampire devices" are costing you? 

Energy expert Stephen Hankison says households could save £131 a year just by switching appliances off at the wall. 

The biggest savings can be made from unplugging games consoles, as these can cost you £32 a year on standby.

Gaming PCs (£21), TVs (£14) and desktop computers (£18) are also big drainers. 

"It's so simple but switching your appliances off at the wall really is the best way to ensure you’re not spending your hard-earned income on keeping things in standby mode," Mr Hankison, from Electric Radiators Direct, said. 

"£130 is a big food shop, two tanks of petrol or even a nice meal out. There really are much better ways to use this money than giving it to the energy companies."

Here's how much your devices are costing you on standby mode:

EasyJet has reminded customers to check their travel documents for damage after Vicky Pattison was turned away from a flight for having a chewed-up passport. 

The former reality TV star complained about EasyJet's decision on Instagram, calling the airline the "destroyer of dreams".

The 36-year-old was reportedly trying to fly to Italy to visit a potential wedding venue. 

Posting on her Instagram story, she said she had rushed back from Newcastle to be able to get the flight, and was "beyond gutted" to be turned away by staff. 

"I've been travelling with my passport all year and no one's said anything, but it's definitely well travelled to be fair. Company policy is company policy and I get it, I'm just beyond gutted," she said. 

Reacting to how news outlets have covered the story, she added: "My passport was damaged and I just hadn't realised. 

"I am not enraged, if anything I am a tiny squishy sad ball."

An easyJet spokesman told Sky News the airline was sorry for Pattison's experience, but that it is the "passenger's responsibility to have suitable documentation for travel". 

" At easyJet, we work closely with the authorities and comply with their guidance to ensure the safety and security of all passengers and staff," he said. 

"As such, we cannot allow any passenger to travel on their planned flight with documentation damaged to such a degree that its authenticity is brought into question." 

Shoppers have been warned not to eat olives sold by Waitrose over fears they may contain pieces of glass. 

The supermarket has recalled its jars of pitted Spanish queen olives, saying they are "unsafe to eat". 

"We are recalling a selected date of the above product due to possible glass contamination," it said in an important safety warning notice. 

Shoppers have been told to no consume the olives, package up the jar and return it to their local Waitrose for a refund. 

"We apologise that it has been necessary to recall this product and for the inconvenience caused," it added. 

TV presenter Kevin McCloud has criticised the "broken and dysfunctional" property market, saying it is being monopolised by big housebuilders. 

The Grand Designs presenter and designer said Britain was falling behind other European countries such as Germany and Sweden when it comes to housing development.

"If I were the housing minister, I'd be looking at ways to break this monopoly that two or three companies have over the market," Mr McCloud said. 

He argued that quality and innovation was being stifled by a lack of competition between developers, which in turn makes the market more sensitive to downturns. 

"We have effectively a broken market, a dysfunctional market, it has been hollowed out," he added. 

"It means that when we hit difficulty, those companies nosedive and they buy each other out." 

By James Sillars , business news reporter 

You would think that an attack by Iran on Israel involving more than 300 drones and missiles would drive up oil prices.

While Saturday's strikes failed to land a damaging punch, they have stoked fears of a wider Middle East conflict.

But the financial markets have taken the escalation in their stride.

Oil traders priced in the possibility of such Iranian aggression on Friday, 24 hours beforehand.

As such, a barrel of Brent crude is actually 0.5% down at $90 a barrel.

Analysts say the outlook depends very much on how Israel responds.

Stock market sentiment has taken a slight knock.

In London, the FTSE 100 followed Asia lower. It opened 0.2% down at 7,978.

Energy stocks were the main drag.

In wider UK stocks, car distributor Inchcape climbed 1.6% after it agreed a £346m deal to sell its UK dealership operations to car retailer Group 1 Automotive UK.

The Inchcape UK division consists of 81 sites, employing 3,600 people, and works with car manufacturers including Audi, BMW, Jaguar, Toyota and Volkswagen.

Every Monday we put your financial dilemmas or consumer disputes to industry experts. You can find out how to submit yours at the bottom of this post.

This week, Sky News reader AJ2024 asks...

"While on maternity leave my employer rejected my flexible work request and told me to pick from four new shift patterns or take redundancy if they didn't suit me. All new shifts were full working hours. No support as a new mother and ruined my last few precious weeks. What are my rights?"

Katie Wood, senior legal officer at Maternity Action, answers:

All employers have a legal duty to seriously consider all requests for flexible work. This includes any request to change your days, hours or place of work. From April this year, this is a day-one right and you can make up to two requests a year. To show that they have seriously considered a request, an employer is expected to meet with you to discuss the request.

An employer can refuse a request if they have good reasons and it would genuinely be difficult to accommodate a request. There are eight legal reasons an employer can give for refusing a request but these can be quite broad.

These reasons are: 

• The burden of additional costs
• The detrimental effect on the ability to meet customer demand
• The employer is unable to reorganise the work among existing staff
• They are unable to recruit additional staff
• The detrimental effect on quality
• The detrimental effect on performance
• There is not enough work during the periods the employee wants to work
• Planned structural changes

You can ask to appeal a refusal and can also put forward other options. It can help to ask for a trial period or try to find a compromise that would work for both parties.

An employer that insists on a particular working pattern, such as full-time working hours or variable shifts, may be at risk of an indirect sex discrimination claim as it disadvantages women who have more childcare responsibilities than men. 

If an employer rejects an appeal, employees should seek legal advice. There is a time limit of three months (less one day) for starting an employment tribunal claim. Employees must contact ACAS to start early conciliation within the time limit. ACAS have more information on rights to ask for flexible work on their website.

This feature is not intended as financial advice - the aim is to give an overview of the things you should think about. Submit your dilemma or consumer dispute, leaving your name and where in the country you are, in the form above or by emailing [email protected] with the subject line "Money blog". Alternatively, WhatsApp us  here .

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