Stage 1: Lincoln to Lincoln
The opening stage threw the peloton straight into the historic grit of Lincoln, a 187 kilometer circuit packing 1393 meters of climbing and the cobbled Michaelgate wall. The pre-race orders from the team car were unequivocal: race with conviction from kilometer zero, target every available mountain summit, and capitalize on the early hesitation of the WorldTour squads. Michal Schuran executed the plan to perfection, punching his way into the day’s six-rider breakaway alongside Adam Lewis, Oscar Schempp, Asger Røjbek Sørensen, Jonah Killy, and Simen Evertsen-Hegreberg. After securing second place over Willingham Hill, Schuran accelerated over Rothwell Hill to capture maximum points. The escapees worked in unison, intentionally stepping on the gas from kilometer 110 to build an essential buffer before entering the final circuits. As the race rattled across the brutal cobbles of Michaelgate with 65 kilometers remaining, Schuran stormed across the summit in first place, mathematically wrapping up the Omoda King of the Mountains jersey on day one. Netcompany-INEOS drove a furious chase behind, eventually neutralizing the break with 41 kilometers left. In a thrilling finale up the cobbled pitch, Lewis Askey (NSN Cycling Team) delivered a fairytale home victory with a stinging counter-attack, while Schuran proudly pulled on the climber’s jersey on the podium.
Schuri on podium smiles, rough tarmac, and British traffic
Today, it was quite easy to get into the breakaway compared to the Czech Tour. There wasn’t much of a fight; since only Continental teams were involved, they let it go quite easily. The cooperation in the break was good. We tried to pace ourselves for the finishing laps, increasing the tempo from kilometer 110, and it worked well. However, the bunch here is really strong, so they caught us quite quickly on the laps even when we went full gas.
I would certainly like to keep the jersey, but I want to take it day by day and avoid putting too much pressure on myself. Usually, it’s much easier to win when you stay relaxed. I just enjoyed the podium and the interviews today, and we’ll see how much luck I have in the coming stages. I’ll absolutely keep trying to get in the moves, and these punchy climbs definitely suit me better than the long ones.
As for riding on the left side of the road in the UK, I didn’t feel any difference during the race itself. The main issue is just the tarmac: it isn’t in the best condition, with a lot of gravel and potholes. During training yesterday, though, the traffic situation felt really awkward, and I was honestly a bit afraid!
Erik on Michaelgate logjams and shaking off travel rust
The first stage went well thanks to Michal. There was a big fight at the beginning to get into the breakaway, the team worked very well, and in the end he managed to get in and nicely collect the mountain sprint victories.
At the end, on the first lap, there was a huge fight before the first climb because everyone wanted to be in the best possible position. It was a very steep, narrow, cobbled climb. Unfortunately, several tangles and stoppages happened in that section, we got held up too, and right there the first group consisting of world stars managed to slip away. Many teams were left behind; we tried to collaborate to chase them down, but unfortunately it was no longer possible.
I haven’t raced in a while, I have a block of hard training behind me, which went well. Unfortunately, our travel here wasn’t very smooth due to reasons beyond our control, so today I didn’t feel in my best shape yet. I hope that day by day I will have better and better legs, that is usually the tendency with me.
Stage 2: Boston to Skegness
Stretching 180 kilometers across the open, exposed plains of Lincolnshire, the stage seemed benign on paper, but the directors inside the team car knew that coastal gales near Skegness would tear the race apart. The tactical mission was crystal clear: shut down any threat to Schuran’s blue jersey by sweeping the early climbs, then prepare for an inevitable war in the gutters. János Pelikán answered the call brilliantly, surging clear at the drop of the flag with Axel Källberg, Lucas Bénéteau, and Jonah Killy. Pelikán rode with authority, claiming maximum points on both Kirmond Road and Rothwell Hill to neutralize any rival aspirations. When the race barreled into the coast at Mablethorpe, brutal crosswinds exploded the peloton into fragmented echelons, with Decathlon CMA CGM Team setting a savage pace while Filippo Ganna suffered a costly mechanical. Despite spending 120 kilometers in the breakaway, Pelikán dug deep into his reserves and stayed in the hunt, ultimately rolling over the line in one of the front chasing groups just behind the leaders. Up ahead, Tim Merlier (Fix All Quick-Step) launched an unstoppable 500 meter charge down the Skegness promenade to win the stage, while Team United Shipping celebrated another day with the mountains jersey safe in Hungarian hands.
Jani on mission blue jersey, survival mode, and Slovenian form
I was happy that I managed to get into the breakaway, because that allowed me to go for the mountain sprints, keeping the blue jersey with the team. This way Michal could rest, as one of the guys in the break would have been dangerous to him.
We were expecting heavy crosswinds, and I was glad to be up front, I was able to slot in. But it wasn’t easy, in some places I had to ride for dear life just to keep the line from snapping. Even so, today was a good day, the legs are good, the sensations are good. I managed to win both KOMs, though in the end I still didn’t get the “Most Combative Rider” award, which I’m a bit sorry about, but that’s cycling. Yesterday I think I actually got more tired, but maybe that will catch up with me later.
The hierarchy between teams is really strong as long as the peloton is in one piece. But once the selection has happened, it’s less clear cut, they treat me as an equal too, even with me being up there on my own today.
My Slovenian training camp went very well, the good sensations have arrived, and right now I feel very good, much better than at any point earlier this year. I went out there to train specifically for this race and the upcoming time trials: World Championships, European Championships, and then Chrono des Nations is coming up soon.
Veljko on ill-timed bidon duties, gutter life, and chasing Ganna
As we planned, János was in the breakaway today. Right after we caught them, just before the echelons formed, I went back for bottles. When I came back, I saw that shit had just hit the fan. Niki and I were completely out of position, pretty much the last guys in the group.
We suffered a lot in the line, and then someone in front of me lost the wheel, so I got dropped. But when I saw Ganna coming up from the back, I knew that was my chance to get back into the first group. They went straight to the front of our group and drilled it all the way to the finish, with help from a few other teams.
I’ll try to help the team as much as I can and hopefully get into at least one breakaway myself. We’ll see when Schuri tries to go next, but if he’s not up there, I’d love to take his place in the break.
My legs are finally coming back to life after two days of traveling without riding. Erik and I definitely had the worst luck with the travel 😅
Stage 3: Hull to Beverley
Covering 194 kilometers and 1612 meters of elevation, stage three took the riders over the windswept Yorkshire Wolds before entering four laps of a technical 16 kilometer finishing circuit. The tactical brief was two-pronged: attack the breakaway to stretch Schuran’s mountains lead and keep Nikiforos Arvanitou shielded for a punchy, uphill sprint. Michal Schuran displayed tremendous resolve, forcing his way into the front group despite fierce resistance and heavy winds. Schuran crested the final King of the Mountains sprint in first place just ten seconds before echelons swept through the remnants of the escape. As the race funneled towards Beverley Racecourse against a biting headwind, Arvanitou proved his mettle against the sport’s biggest names, jostling through the chaos to snatch an exceptional 11th place. Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) launched a blistering effort inside the final 100 meters to take the stage win ahead of Tim Merlier, while Team United Shipping walked away with both a top result and another day in blue.
Niki on trading elbows with WorldTour royalty and hunting results
Feeling quite good overall. This 11th place isn’t an impressive result, but I’m looking forward to better days. It’s always difficult to sprint against WT riders: and even harder when you’re not wearing a WT jersey because you get less respect. Plans for the next stages are to hope for another sprint finish and to win the KOM jersey with Michal.
Schuri on empty tanks, hip pedaling, and fighting the elements
Sprinting for KOM points went quite well, but overall, it was a really hard day. I finished completely empty: we were pushing hard all day, and the wind didn’t make it any easier for us.
My focus today was just to get the KOMs and then take it easier, but only ten seconds later, they caught us in the echelons, so I was pretty lucky to take that last GPM. On days like this, I try to focus on my position, pedaling from the hips, and staying as relaxed as possible.
Tomorrow, it’s going to be important for me or Jani to get into the break because there are 26 points up for grabs. If I can take those, I’ll secure the jersey for sure. Let’s hope I can recover from today and go all out tomorrow!
On the first day, the KOM sprints themselves were harder, but today it was much harder just to get into the break at all, and then pull in the wind all day long. My legs were also still sore from yesterday’s echelons, making it mentally much tougher than day one, when I felt a lot stronger.
Stage 4: Helmsley to Leyburn
The queen stage through the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales offered a ferocious 166 kilometers featuring 2699 meters of climbing. From the team car, the staff warned that the WorldTour squads would look to blow the general classification wide open across the narrow, twisting climbs. The battle for the morning break was relentless, and while Team United Shipping did not manage to infiltrate the six-man move, the tactical stars aligned: the summit points were fractured across various breakaway riders, keeping Schuran’s classification lead perfectly intact. On the Kidstones climb, UAE Team Emirates detonated the peloton, launching Tim Wellens on a long-range raid. Cees Bol (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) was the sole survivor from the morning escape capable of clinging to Wellens’ rear wheel, eventually kicking past the Belgian on the rising drag in Leyburn to claim a sensational victory. Wellens took over the race leader’s jersey, while the Hungarian outfit gritted their teeth through the hills to safeguard the mountains jersey for the final day.
Tomáš on WorldTour firepower and riding through the pain cave
I’m not sure how I feel about my performance. UAE is just so good, and today they showed us why they are the best WT team in the world. In the stages so far, we’ve had two very hard finishes and two sprint finishes, but we as a team are still missing something. It feels like we can’t quite race with the WorldTour teams.
Michal’s jersey is our only chance for now, but he looks very strong, and I trust that he will make it. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find my legs, and I’m not happy with my performance, but tomorrow I’ll do everything I can for Michal and Niki in the final.
Erik on Yorkshire walls, tactical resets, and all-in loyalty
Today was a tough day. Alongside the by-now usual, very strong wind, larger climbs were on the menu today. A huge fight unfolded to get into the breakaway, most of the WT teams wanted to be part of it, so we started the stage at quite a tempo. Michal didn’t manage to get into it in the end today, but luckily the blue jersey stayed with him regardless. So tomorrow it’s all-in to keep it!
As a small team, it wasn’t easy to get to the front on the climbs. We were riding on very narrow, technical roads, in continuous, massive wind. On the first serious climb, Tomáš and I were still able to stay with the front group, where UAE launched a huge attack. That took quite a lot out of me, and on the next one I unfortunately got dropped. From then on, I tried to save myself for the end of the stage as much as possible, so that I could help Michal and Niki the best I can. Right now, these are our two main goals.
Stage 5: Earlston to Earlston
The grand finale across the Scottish Borders served up 160 kilometers, 2236 meters of climbing, and a masterclass in tactical bravery. The directive from the team car was uncompromising: ride aggressively from the start and secure the blue jersey on the road. Michal Schuran produced a heroic display, biding his time before bridging into the decisive breakaway alongside Ben Wiggins, Jonah Killy, and Marcus Sander Hansen. Schuran proved unstoppable, seizing maximum points on both Redstone Rig and Duddy Bank to mathematically clinch the Omoda King of the Mountains classification. When UAE Team Emirates XRG bridged across in force, Nils Politt attacked solo with 7 kilometers remaining to take the stage win in Earlston, while Tim Wellens safely crossed the line to seal the overall general classification title. But the defining story of the week was Schuran, who not only stood atop the podium as the King of the Mountains, but also earned the prestigious Tour of Britain Overall Combativity Award, putting the Hungarian Continental team firmly in the global cycling spotlight.
Tomáš on Scottish suffering and building form for the Worlds
I felt like I was going to die at every moment: it was just pure suffering in the last 85 km. I was trying not to get dropped, but the UAE guys were just too strong, so maybe next time.
My overall feeling is that in the end, it was a very solid race before the World Championships. Michal did an amazing job in the breakaways, so congrats to him: he saved it with the blue jersey.
Yes, of course, I hope my form is going to be good in Canada, which is my last race of the season.
Michal on double jersey glory, career-best watts, and dreaming of Slovakia
I feel like the Czech KOM jersey means a bit more to me because a lot of my friends were watching, so I was under more pressure than here. But if we compare the level of competition, this one was a really tough one. So if I had to choose just one, I would pick the polka dot from the Czech Tour.
Today I was quite relaxed at the start and waited for the right moment to attack so it wouldn’t be too early. Then I got away pretty easily and had really good legs. In the break I felt good, but on the second GPM, the group of leaders was really close to us, so I had to go all-in to take the points there. After that, I stayed with the second group almost until the finish line, but I was just surviving there. I wanted to go as far as I could and even tried to sprint for a top 10 finish, but my legs were completely empty in the final.
Based on my power data, this was my strongest ride ever.
My last race will be the Tour of Slovakia, so let’s see if we can get 3 KOM jerseys in a row! 😅
Photo: Marcell Lippai