Stage 6: Dan Lloyd and Michael Rogers attack up Old Bristol HillRobin Wilmott/BikeRadar.com
Lars Boom wins stage 6 by some margin in WellsRobin Wilmott/BikeRadar.com
Stage 8a: Bernhard Eisel stretching before the TTRobin Wilmott/BikeRadar.com
Stage 8a: Steve Cummings on Victoria EmbankmentRobin Wilmott/BikeRadar.com
Stage 8a: The time trial finish in WhitehallRobin Wilmott/BikeRadar.com
Stage 8a: Lars Boom and Dan Lloyd await their startRobin Wilmott/BikeRadar.com
New British Champion Alex Dowsett wins the London time trialRobin Wilmott/BikeRadar.com
Stage 8b: The race leaders start the final stageRobin Wilmott/BikeRadar.com
Stage 8b: The peloton with St Pauls Cathedral in the distanceRobin Wilmott/BikeRadar.com
Stage 8b: Dowsett leads the bunch in pursuit of the breakRobin Wilmott/BikeRadar.com
Stage 8b: The peloton riding through WhitehallRobin Wilmott/BikeRadar.com
Stage 8b: Cavendish takes his second stage win in WhitehallRobin Wilmott/BikeRadar.com
Lars Boom wins the 2011 Tour of BritainRobin Wilmott/BikeRadar.com
Eight years since its inception, the Tour of Britain continues to grow. With the strongest field yet assembled, and a testing parcours criss-crossing Scotland, Wales and England over nine stages, the race has definitely matured.
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Confirming the potential of the Tour as a tune up event ahead of the World Championships, some truly testing stages brought out some mighty performances from the men in form. Two wins each for Mark Cavendish and Lars Boom, and one from current World Champion Thor Hushovd gave the supportive fans world class talent in depth to cheer.
The weather of course played its part. Stage 1 in Scotland was wet and stormy, whilst stage 2 was cancelled due to the tail end of a hurricane blowing waves across the finish straight in Blackpool and demolishing the gantries. From there on the weather relented, and the race was characterised by some fantastic sprinting and climbing performances from Pieter Ghyllebert and Jonathon Tiernan Locke, who won their respective classifications. The British hills surprised many and made the race one for the strong men.
As the stages passed, one man proved to be a match for the terrain and had the measure of his rivals. Former World cyclo-cross Champion Lars Boom rode a perfect race to take the win on his first trip to the UK, and add further gloss to an ever improving event.