Cycling: Kiwi Ally Wollaston wins Tour of Britain

RNZ News

8 hours ago

Ally Wollaston.
Photo:
FDJ-Suez
New Zealand cyclist Ally Wollaston has won the Tour of Britain.
Wollaston went into the fourth and final stage three seconds behind British rider Cat Ferguson but picked up time bonuses in the three intermediate sprints in Glasgow before gaining another four bonus seconds by finishing third on the stage.
Wollaston, who rides for FDJ-Suez, beat Movistar's Ferguson by four seconds overall.
"I'm a little bit overwhelmed, sorry. I'm so happy, first of all, a massive thank you to my team-mates, I couldn't have done it without them," Wollaston said.
"This means the world to me, it's my first World Tour victory in GC (general classification)."
Wollaston, 24, is two-time world champion on the track and last year won a silver and bronze medal at the Paris Olympics.
She won a World Tour one-day race in Australia in February.
"I knew I needed to get every second I could in the bonus sprints, and unfortunately, Cat was right on my wheel every time!
"So it came down to the last sprint, and there was a moment of doubt halfway through that last lap where I thought 'I just cannot do this today', and my team-mates really helped me pull it together and pulled me to the front for the final."
The final stage was held on an 8.4km city-centre circuit in Glasgow.