Tim Wellens and Florian Vermeersch begin Tour of Britain in fine form

On stage 1 of the Lloyds Tour of Britain, UAE Team Emirates-XRG began the race in strong fashion, placing Tim Wellens in third and Florian Vermeersch in seventh. The pair now sit handily in the general classification ahead of the four remaining stages to come.

Held in and around Lincoln, stage 1 of the 22nd Tour of Britain already came to define this year’s race. With five ascents of the cobbled Michaelgate climb on the parcours, the peloton exploded into countless fragments on Wednesday afternoon.

For UAE Team Emirates-XRG, both Wellens and Vermeersch tracked a dangerous move on the second ascent of the climb, and this breakaway ultimately contested the stage honours. Their advantage over the majority of the peloton at the finish was in excess of three minutes, ensuring that the riders in the front group will more than likely contest the general classification spots later in the week.

Earlier in the day, a traditional breakaway had gone up the road in search of much-sought-after television time. Their advantage clocked over two minutes in parts, but Netcompany INEOS had been determined to make their presence felt before the race hit the five laps of a circuit in Lincoln.

Thanks to the British team’s work, the breakaway took a gap of less than a minute onto the first ascent of the Michaelgate climb, and their time out front was numbered from this point on. The Netcompany INEOS squad blocked the road on the first ascent, but heading into the second time up the climb, the pace was well and truly on.

Mikkel Bjerg, recognising the danger, brought his teammates to the very front of the race. The Dane powered his way to the head of the peloton and piloted his teammates into the foot of Michaelgate.

Once onto the cobbled climb, Wellens and Vermeersch showed themselves amongst the strongest riders on the day, successfully tracking a move that had been ignited by Lewis Askey of NSN Cycling Team. The Swiss-registered team was racing its first Tour of Britain since the tragic death of 19-year-old Finlay Tarling, with the Tour of Britain observing a minute’s applause at the beginning of the stage in his memory.

Over the top of the climb, the leading group counted among its number Filippo Ganna (Netcompany INEOS), Jasper Stuyven (Fix All Quick-Step), and Matteo Trentin (Tudor Pro Cycling), among others. Despite Nils Politt‘s best efforts to bridge across from behind, the elastic had been snapped between the front group and the peloton. Soon, the advantage of Wellens and co. ballooned out to well over a minute, and it became clear the day’s winner would come from this breakaway.

For his part, Wellens tried to lay down a searing attack on the fourth ascent of Michaelgate, putting the squeeze on his rivals out front. This aggression continued into the final 10km, with both Wellens and Vermeersch trading attacks for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.

It was Vermeersch who, at one point, developed the most threatening attack. The Belgian snuck clear inside the closing 2km and opened up a gap of 10 seconds over those behind, with a first win in the Emirati squad’s colours on his mind.

Unfortunately for Vermeersch, Askey produced a burst of acceleration from behind and bridged up to the gravel world champion. Askey had been the first rider to attack on the second ascent of Michaelgate, and now, on the fifth and final time up the climb, the British rider was the man to bring home the victory.

The NSN Cycling Team rider burst past Vermeersch and made a solo dig for the line in Lincoln. He ultimately won the stage with a two-second gap over Ganna and Wellens, who placed second and third, respectively. Vermeersch came home in seventh, leaving UAE Team Emirates-XRG with two riders inside the top 10 in the general classification.

Although the next two stages should suit a bunch sprint on paper, the peloton will be well aware that the wind can blow off England’s east coast. For the Emirati squad, Wellens and Vermeersch have begun the 2026 Tour of Britain in fine form.

Wellens: “Naturally, we wanted to get a win today, but all we can say is chapeau to the winner, Askey. Today, he was super strong and we saw already from the second time on the climb that he would be good in the final. For us, having both myself and FLorian in the move on the second lap was always the plan.

“We wanted to make the race hard from far, and the team did a great job of putting is into position before that second climb in Lincoln. Once the move went, it was important to work together and build the gap, before me and Florian could trade attacks inside the final 20km. Ultimately, Florian had the biggest gap and I hoped to see it go to the finish, but Askey just had the biggest kick at the end.

“Personally, I am really happy to be back racing and to have felt strong on the pedals. It has been a long break since the Tour, and I felt fresh and motivated. With me and Florian well placed, we can now make a real plan for the rest of the week. Our team is strong and we can be optimistic.”

Tour of Britain 2026 stage 1 results:

1. Lewis Askey (NSN Cycling Team) 4:02:44

2. Filippo Ganna (Netcompany INEOS) +2″

3. Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) s.t

7. Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +11″

Tour of Britain 2026 general classification after stage 1:

1. Lewis Askey (NSN Cycling Team) 4:02:31

2. Filippo Ganna (Netcompany INEOS) +9″

3. Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +11″

7. Florian Vermeersch (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +24″