Stage 5 of the Aviva Tour of Britain served as the race’s only summit finish. The 166.4-kilometer stage saw five riders escape and gain a maximum gap of nearly seven minutes. As the race neared the final climb on Hartside Fell, the front group was pared down to only three riders.
The trio held on until the final 10 km before getting reeled in by a reduced peloton. While not particularly steep, the final climb splintered the peloton down to several small groups. Despite various attacks, the race came down to two riders vying for the win.
Edvald Boasson Hagen (MTN Qhubeka) launched a late attack that looked to be successful, but Wout Poels (Team Sky) passed the Norwegian meters before the line to take the win. Team Novo Nordisk’s David Lozano finished 25th and currently sits just outside the top 20 overall in 21st place.
“I started the day with lots of soreness in my legs,” Lozano said. “I was worried it was going to be a very long day on the bike, but when we reached the final 20 kilometers, I was surprised to find my legs were feeling strong. We planned to race for Javi (Megias) today but it didn’t go to plan, so I focused on finishing strong. I came in with the front chase group and hope to keep racing well.”
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