Canyon dhb SunGod at the Tour of Britain: Stage six in pictures

It was never in doubt, was it? From the moment he crested the first categorised climb in the Cornish village of Zennor, Jacob Scott was destined to continue his reign as king of the mountains at the Tour of Britain. On stage six, his second successive victory in the classification was confirmed. Assuming he finishes, that is.

Some performance from Canyon dhb SunGod’s popular Yorkshireman, who only missed out on the 2017 crown on the final day. Jacob didn’t make the breakaway on stage six, mind. Instead confirming his success from the front of the peloton where he received a congratulatory pat on the back from fellow Brit Owain Doull.

Here’s the sixth entry in our 2021 Tour of Britain photo diary...

Rory Townsend cracks a smile as he finishes his prep ahead of stage six. The man who bagged fifth and sixth on the opening two days later made the breakaway, sweeping up maximum points in both the king of the mountains and intermediate sprints competitions to protect Jacob Scott’s jerseys.

Reigning supreme! As the riders were introduced to the crown ahead of stage six, it had been 1,097 days since a rider other than Jacob Scott had worn the Tour of Britain’s king of the mountains jersey. That was South African Nic Dlamini, who clinched the 2018 crown on the streets of London.

The man of the moment is always good value in front of the press. He told us earlier this year how he hadn’t struggled with the absence of racing in 2020. While others lacked motivation, his love for riding his bike only grew stronger. He’s the very definition of infectious enthusiasm.

Ha’way the lad! Thomas Mein puts the hammer down at the front of the peloton as the race skips over the Pennines towards his birthplace Gateshead. The stage featured three category one climbs and covered a total of 198km before finishing in the shadow of the Angel of the North.

A job well done. Rory Townsend rolls into the finish after a stand-out ride in the day’s breakaway. He’d shown his strength at the start – forging clear after a hectic opening had seen so many rivals try and fail to escape the clutches of the peloton.

Max power. Max Stedman was the first Canyon dhb SunGod rider to cross the line on the day. In an explosive finale, he finished 15th – only 10 seconds after Wout van Aert had beaten Ethan Hayter and Julian Alaphilippe to stage glory. The climber now sits 23rd in the general classification.

Sorry, not sorry. It may be another podium pic – near-identical to the last six. But we’ll never get tired of them. Jacob’s also in command of the intermediate sprints competition. Talking afterwards, he said: “I’d still like to get a stage result. And we want to get that other jersey nailed, too.” You’ve been warned!

Canny ride. Thomas Mein has shown no end of courage during his maiden Tour of Britain. Despite ripping his body to shreds – and one of our speedsuits, we might add – on stage two, he’s dug deep to keep the wheels turning and keep supporting his team-mates. We’re made up he got to enjoy his home finish in Gateshead. Chapeau Thomas!

Stage seven will see the peloton wind its way from Hawick to Edinburgh, where another fast finish will have all the sprinters, including the likes of Matt Bostock, interested.

The race continues...