2 years ago by Tom Owen

Joyce sprints to fourth in elite company to close out Britain

TOUR OF BRITAIN
Stage 8 
Stonehaven – Aberdeen
ROSTER
 WEATHER
We think the locals call it 'dreich'. Or grey and windy to the rest of us.
  TERRAIN
Gorgeous Scottish hills, pine trees and then a finish at the North Sea.
 COURSE 
Shorter than other stages in the Tour so far, but with plenty of punch.
THE STAGE

Colin Joyce sprinted to fourth place on the Aberdeen Esplanade, just narrowly missing a podium packed with sprint royalty.[1]

The 2019 Rutland - Melton Cicle Classic winner brought his Tour of Britain debut to an impressive end, after tasting disappointment on stage 6.

"I'm always shooting for the win, but it's a big positive to see the front of the bike race at the finish. Robin did an amazing job making the break and Zuk was super strong helping me in the leadout."[2]

The sprint came after a Robin Carpenter-led breakaway[6] was caught just five kilometers from the line. Despite suffering through the day, Carpenter found a little extra energy to salute the huge crowds on the Cairn o'Mount KOM.

"The fans were just crazy and I was trying to hype them up. That was the best part of the day."

Carpenter has enjoyed a superb Tour of Britain, with a stage win and day in the overall race lead. He said, "You can feel like people want you to be here. Just feel the love."[4]

Joyce summed up the team's time in Britain.

"It's an amazing country, especially Scotland. The dense forests, the rivers, and the amazing crowds."[3][5][7]

  QUOTE OF THE DAY  
"It was an amazing week. The country and the fans made it incredible."
– COLIN, ON BRITAIN
DECISIVE MOMENTS
 Robin gets up the road in the company of six other riders from KM0.
 Carpenter and the other escapees put the hammer down at 45km to go.
The break is caught by the rampaging peloton as it tears through Aberdeen.
Zukowsky leads out Colin who powers to fourth place, just narrowly missing a podium spot.
Jose, chief swanny, hands everyone a celebratory burrito.
NOTABLE RESULTS
Colin Joyce snags fourth in the sprint
Wout van Aert wins the stage (and overall) ahead of André Greipel and Mark Cavendish
LAY OF THE LAND

The other half of the men's program starts Tour du Luxembourg on Tuesday while the Britain riders will travel back to their European bases to prepare for a series of one-days in Belgium and France.

In other news

Poidevin scores bronze at Canadian road championships

Success and survival on stage 7 for US champ