"I had to launch my sprint early and paid the price in the final 50 meters" - Ethan Vernon reflects on second place at Tour of Britain

Ethan Vernon is back from a two-month break and his legs are as fast as ever. The wait for the second victory of 2024 (last triumph was at the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes in February) still continues, but the 24-year-old mustn't be ashamed of two runner-up results at his home Tour of Britain.

Today, the Brit sprinter was once again placed perfectly by his teammates. Coming into the final, he opened the sprint a tad bit early and despite an impressive display of power, Soudal - Quick-Step's Paul Magnier was able to pass Vernon just on the line.

"It was another good day for the team," said Vernon after the stage. "The boys pulled together brilliantly just like they have in the other three stages to defend GC for Stevie and help me for the stage. I had to launch my sprint early and paid the price in the final 50 meters, but it was another day of learning. We still have two more chances to get a sprint victory."

Besides the stage win ambitions, Israel - Premier Tech riders had an even more important task to keep the race leader Stephen Williams out of danger. The "pancake" profile meant that it was mainly about keeping Williams in a safe spot and staying alert of any possibility of echelons. The PRT team succeeded in both.

"It was a pretty straightforward day," confirms Williams. "There weren’t many open sections but enough to keep us on our toes. We had to stay in position at the front of the peloton, and Simon did a brilliant job for us. It was all hands on deck in the final trying to get Ethan the victory. I feel like we did a good job for him; he opened it up but unfortunately he got pipped on the line."