"My lunge was very important" - Danny Van Poppel takes millimetre victory at the Tour of Britain

Danny Van Poppel took victory on stage 6 of the Tour of Britain ahead of Ethan Vernon by the barest of margins after a thrilling sprint to the line in Harlow.

Jumbo-Visma had been dominant so far with five victories from five stages but Olav Kooij was boxed in on the final sprint giving the likes of Van Poppel the chance to compete for the win. “It feels great, I'm very happy to win,” the BORA - hansgrohe rider said post-stage. “It is difficult to beat Jumbo-Visma. It's nice to beat one of the best teams and sprinters.”

In the finale, Van Poppel went wheel-to-wheel with Soudal - Quick-Step's Ethan Vernon and it was incredibly tight. “It was very close. My lunge was very important," he admits. "I know I'm good at that, timing and all that. I think that gave me the win. It's nice to be able to beat someone like Vernon, who is a world champion on the track.”

“After the Tour de France I felt really good. I tried to continue that form. Three years ago I decided to become a lead-out. That gave me a lot of peace. Now I can occasionally take my chance when Bennett is not feeling well or when the ride is a bit more difficult,” he concludes.