SD Worx denied Tour of Britain clean sweep in calamitous stage 4 finale but Lotte Kopecky secures overall victory

With wins in each of the first three stages, Team SD Worx - Protime were looking to complete a clean sweep on stage 4 of the 2024 Tour of Britain Women. For all intents and purposes they should have done so too, but a calamitous finale saw Ruby Roseman-Gannon pinch the stage win in Leigh.

Heading into the finale, race leader and winner of stages 1 and 2, Lotte Kopecky was dangling out in front of the bunch. Rather than power down to what would have been an inevitable victory however, the world champion decided to wait up in the final few hundred metres. Not for her team's sprinter and stage 3 winner Lorena Wiebes either, but for loyal domestique Christine Majerus.

Despite the curious lull in the finale, Majerus was more than confident of her victory, beginning her celebration before she'd even crossed the line. As has been seen many times before however, this is a criminal mistake to make and Majerus was made to pay by the Australian National Champion, Ruby Roseman-Gannon.

“I just can't believe it - the plan today was to really race aggressively and take some seconds back. We had a really good team ride and they were actually smashing that first climb. I was actually struggling and then there was full commitment into the next climb and some selections made," the 25-year-old of Liv AlUla Jayco reflected post-stage. “We really wanted to get Letizia Paternoster out there, but unfortunately she got a puncture so it didn't go to plan. I asked whether I should go back, they said no and to focus on the finish. I still can’t believe I have won that - it’s my first European win and I’m still in shock. It’s when you really don't expect it, some races you come in as a leader and you have a lot of pressure, and other races you come in and it all works out. Today I was pretty worried about the rain and I was nervous about crashing and I wasn't really in the right mindset that I was going to win the race, but to win is amazing. Overall it was a great race!”

Despite the shambolic end to the race for Team SD Worx - Protime, Lotte Kopecky did manage to secure herself the overall victory at the 2024 Tour of Britain Women. “It was really cold and hectic - some nice steep climbs. In the end, we were always in control. We made the choice to go for Christine in the sprint, and we did it perfectly until the last gap around the corner. It was too big for me so I was not going to take the win as I saw Christine going. We made this deal that she is going to win today but maybe it was a stupid mistake. I still, however, would have done the same. It could have been a nice ending for Christine, but we finished well as a team," the Belgian commented post-stage. “Ruby is a good rider so it was nice for her but I am happy that Christine got the bonus seconds to get third so it is nice. Maybe it is a little funny and it is what it is and I’m not disappointed.”