Stevie Williams (Israel – Premier Tech) made history as the first Welshman to win the modern Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain, securing his triumph after a tense final stage, while Matevž Govekar (Bahrain Victorious) won the sixth and final stage of the 158.4km race, which ended in a bunch sprint on Felixstowe’s Sea Road.
Report
The stage began with an early breakaway of four riders—Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility), Cole Kessler (Lidl – Trek Future Racing), Mathias Bregnhøj (Sabgal/Anicolor), and Ben Swift (INEOS Grenadiers)—gaining a 30-second advantage. The group extended the lead slightly when Samuel Leroux (Van Rysel – Roubaix) and Antoine L’Hote (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Development Team) joined them, before they were eventually reeled in after the first intermediate sprint in Beccles.
With 129km remaining, the race intensified as Tom Pidcock (INEOS Grenadiers) attacked, forming a front group. However, it was Pidcock’s later move, with Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), that forced a significant gap over the peloton, stretching to over two minutes. Yet, Soudal Quick-Step and Israel – Premier Tech controlled the pace, closing down the leaders with 88km to go.
The stage was further complicated by strong crosswinds, which splintered the peloton and threatened to shake up the general classification. A group of 25 riders, including Williams and his closest rival Onley, went off the front, setting up a tactical battle. Donnenwirth took advantage of the second intermediate sprint with 68km remaining to secure valuable bonus seconds, moving him into third overall.
A crash later eliminated key contenders Pidcock and three-time stage winner Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step), leaving the race finely poised heading into the final 35km. As the peloton regrouped, a flurry of attacks from the likes of Connor Swift (INEOS Grenadiers) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) kept the pace high. Onley’s last-ditch effort to claw back time on Williams was thwarted by Israel – Premier Tech, who maintained their stranglehold on the race.
Govekar’s late surge in the bunch sprint saw him narrowly edge out Rasmus Pedersen (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Development Team) for the stage victory, with Ben Swift finishing third and earning the day’s Combativity award. Ethan Vernon came home in fourth, securing the points jersey for Israel – Premier Tech, further enhancing their dominance.
The 27-year-old completed the eight-day race with a 16-second lead over Oscar Onley (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) and 52 seconds over Tom Donnenwirth (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Development Team), marking the first British victory in the national tour since 2016.
Speaking after his historic win, Williams praised his team: “I’m really proud of how the boys rode all week. They were fantastic. It’s me standing on the podium, but it was definitely a team effort. After the Olympics, I targeted getting back into racing, and I’m really happy everything went right this week.”
Results
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