A first professional victory on home soil, and hopefully a pre-cursor to big things later on in the week. Stevie Williams capitalized on a combative and dominant Israel – Premier Tech performance to win stage 2 of the Tour of Britain on Wednesday, with the bonus seconds on the line moving him into the race lead.
Williams beat Oscar Onley (DFP) and two-time Tour of Britain winner Julian Alaphilippe (SOQ) after the trio broke clear on the uncatgorized climb at Saltburn Bank. The Welshman instigated the move, attacking from an elite breakaway group that included teammate Joe Blackmore and also featured a third IPT rider, Jake Stewart, for a key part of the race.
“This is my third time at this race and I’ve never managed to get my hands in the air here,” said Williams. “It’s really special to win in the UK – we don’t get to race here often so it means a lot.
“From 70 km to go it was technical and twisty, with steep climbs, and the key was to stay in front. We were there in numbers – the way the boys rode was superb. They made sure I was positioned brilliantly going into the climbs.”
More to follow…
