2025 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men, stage 6: Kooij crowns Cardiff finale as Grégoire seals Tour of Britain
Olav Kooij denied the breakaway with a blistering sprint in Cardiff to take his third stage victory of the 2025 Tour of Britain Men, while Romain Grégoire held firm on Caerphilly Mountain and through repeated attacks from Remco Evenepoel to secure the overall title by just two seconds, as Wales bid an emotional farewell to Geraint Thomas on his final day as a professional.
Olav Kooij delivered one final flourish in Cardiff, sprinting to his third stage win of the 2025 Tour of Britain Men, while Romain Grégoire survived repeated attacks to secure overall victory by just two seconds.
Featured image: Bruce Rollinson/SWpix.com
Report
The 112.2km finale from Newport to Cardiff carried both poignancy and tension. Before the flag dropped, the day belonged to Geraint Thomas. The Welsh great, retiring on home roads, was honoured with a peloton guard of honour at the start and later rode up Caerphilly Mountain alongside Ben Swift, his long-time teammate, in front of deafening crowds.
Once racing began, the script shifted to the fight for stage glory and the general classification. A breakaway of Bastien Tronchon (Decathlon AG2R), Julius Johansen (UAE XRG), Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) and Mats Wenzel (Kern Pharma) carved out a lead of nearly three minutes. Their advantage narrowed steadily under the watch of Tudor, Visma, and Groupama-FDJ.
Image: Bruce Rollinson/SWpix.com
The decisive point came on Caerphilly Mountain (1.3km at 9.6%), where the GC contenders traded blows. Evenepoel launched, with Oscar Onley and Afonso Eulálio also testing Grégoire’s resolve. The Frenchman clung doggedly to every wheel, cresting the climb just seconds behind the surviving breakaway trio of Wright, Tronchon and Johansen.
Evenepoel tried again on the descent, briefly prising open a gap, but Grégoire once more scrambled back. As the peloton swelled, the break dangled with a slender lead of under 20 seconds inside the final 5km.
For a moment it looked like Wright might claim a fairytale home win, the trio still clear at 500m to go. But the sprinters’ teams finally overwhelmed them. From deep in the bunch, Kooij blasted past with 150m remaining, denying the escape in cruel fashion. Watson (INEOS) crossed second, Wright holding on for a weary but valiant third.
Olav Kooij (Team Visma | Lease a Bike) Wins Stage 6 in Cardiff. Image: Bruce Rollinson/SWpix.com
“It’s been a pretty amazing week,” Kooij said. “We thought about the GC too, but the priority was bringing the break back for the sprint. To finish with another win is really special.”
Grégoire, meanwhile, was left to celebrate the biggest victory of his young career. “I’ve always wanted to win a race like this,” he said. “The attacks on the climb weren’t easy, but I was committed, and the team managed it to perfection. Winning here in Britain, with the crowds and the atmosphere, is really special.”
Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) finishes the last race of his career. Image: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com
The final standings saw Grégoire take the green jersey by two seconds from Evenepoel, with Julian Alaphilippe third at four seconds and Onley fourth at eight. Kooij secured the points classification, Victor Vercouillie the mountains jersey, and Bahrain Victorious topped the team standings.
Olav Kooij delivered one final flourish in Cardiff, sprinting to his third stage win of the 2025 Tour of Britain Men, while Romain Grégoire survived repeated attacks to secure overall victory by just two seconds.
Featured image: Bruce Rollinson/SWpix.com
Report
The 112.2km finale from Newport to Cardiff carried both poignancy and tension. Before the flag dropped, the day belonged to Geraint Thomas. The Welsh great, retiring on home roads, was honoured with a peloton guard of honour at the start and later rode up Caerphilly Mountain alongside Ben Swift, his long-time teammate, in front of deafening crowds.
Once racing began, the script shifted to the fight for stage glory and the general classification. A breakaway of Bastien Tronchon (Decathlon AG2R), Julius Johansen (UAE XRG), Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) and Mats Wenzel (Kern Pharma) carved out a lead of nearly three minutes. Their advantage narrowed steadily under the watch of Tudor, Visma, and Groupama-FDJ.
The decisive point came on Caerphilly Mountain (1.3km at 9.6%), where the GC contenders traded blows. Evenepoel launched, with Oscar Onley and Afonso Eulálio also testing Grégoire’s resolve. The Frenchman clung doggedly to every wheel, cresting the climb just seconds behind the surviving breakaway trio of Wright, Tronchon and Johansen.
Evenepoel tried again on the descent, briefly prising open a gap, but Grégoire once more scrambled back. As the peloton swelled, the break dangled with a slender lead of under 20 seconds inside the final 5km.
For a moment it looked like Wright might claim a fairytale home win, the trio still clear at 500m to go. But the sprinters’ teams finally overwhelmed them. From deep in the bunch, Kooij blasted past with 150m remaining, denying the escape in cruel fashion. Watson (INEOS) crossed second, Wright holding on for a weary but valiant third.
“It’s been a pretty amazing week,” Kooij said. “We thought about the GC too, but the priority was bringing the break back for the sprint. To finish with another win is really special.”
Grégoire, meanwhile, was left to celebrate the biggest victory of his young career. “I’ve always wanted to win a race like this,” he said. “The attacks on the climb weren’t easy, but I was committed, and the team managed it to perfection. Winning here in Britain, with the crowds and the atmosphere, is really special.”
The final standings saw Grégoire take the green jersey by two seconds from Evenepoel, with Julian Alaphilippe third at four seconds and Onley fourth at eight. Kooij secured the points classification, Victor Vercouillie the mountains jersey, and Bahrain Victorious topped the team standings.
Results
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