“We didn’t want to attack, we didn’t want to make a hard race” - UAE accidentally blow Tour of Britain apart as Tim Wellens seals overall victory
CyclingSunday, 06 September 2026 at 16:40
Tim Wellens sealed overall victory at the 2026 Tour of Britain after a final stage that ended almost completely opposite to how UAE Team Emirates – XRG had planned it.
The Belgian started the day intending simply to defend his 21-second advantage over Lewis Askey.
Instead, five of UAE’s six riders ended up in the decisive eight-man front group after the race split in the crosswinds, with Nils Politt ultimately winning the stage, Florian Vermeersch taking second and Wellens safely completing his GC victory.
Only Filippo Ganna, Ben Wiggins and Marcus Sander Hansen were able to remain with Wellens, Mikkel Bjerg, Benoit Cosnefroy, Politt and Vermeersch once the decisive group formed.
“We didn’t want to make a hard race”
Wellens said UAE had deliberately started the day with a defensive approach. “Today, to be honest, we just wanted to defend the leader’s jersey,” he said. “We didn’t want to attack, we didn’t want to make a hard race. We just wanted to ride defensively. But then suddenly in the crosswind, Ineos started to ride very hard. We just followed, there was a gap, and then we just rode tempo with Mikel"
“But the crosswind was so hard that when Mikel was riding the tempo, the group split again. We were with the whole team in front and then we continued full to the finish," he added. “So we can say that today we won, especially thanks to Mikel who made the gap.”
Bjerg’s contribution proved crucial. Once his tempo opened the second split, UAE had five riders at the head of the race while Askey, Jasper Stuyven and Daan Hoole were among those left chasing behind.
The gap grew beyond one minute before Politt attacked from the front group inside the final eight kilometres and rode clear for the stage victory. Vermeersch followed home in second, while Wellens completed the Tour safely behind.
“It was quite impressive today”
Asked whether he could remember another race where UAE had placed five of their six riders in the decisive front group for so long, Wellens admitted the scale of the display stood out. “No, I cannot say,” he replied. “Maybe it happened before, but it was quite impressive today.”
The victory completed Wellens’ first Tour of Britain appearance with the overall title after he had taken control of the race on Stage 4 with his attack on Redmire. “Yes, indeed,” he said. “Not only for me, but after today for the whole team. It was a very successful week. We came here for the GC and then today we also have this stage victory, so everything has been perfect.”
Wellens now heads straight to Canada before the Grand Prix de Wallonie and potentially racing in Croatia, taking the Tour of Britain victory with him after UAE turned a planned defensive final day into the race’s most emphatic team performance.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas06-09-2026 - Must be very disappointing. Here in Britain no-one gives a hoot about the Tour of Britain coming round.Rafionain-Glas06-09-2026
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