Lewis Askey wins spectacular Tour of Britain opener with explosive attack on decisive Michaelgate climb

Lewis Askey won the first stage of the 2026 Tour of Britain. The British rider from NSN Cycling proved to be the strongest on the steep, cobbled Michaelgate climb in Lincoln. The stage ws after 187.6 kilometers, with Askey launching a blistering sprint in the last KM to overtake sole leader Florian Vermeersch. The Brit held off Filippo Ganna and Tim Wellens before the line.

The opening stage featured a breakaway group of six riders: Michal Schuran, Adam Lewis, Simen Evertsen-Hegreberg, Jonah Killy, Oscar Schempp, and Asger Rojbek Sorensen. They were given some breathing room, but on the local circuit around Lincoln, the favorites began to make their presence felt more and more.

Michaelgate—a narrow cobblestone section about 400 meters long with an average gradient of 10 percent—consistently created gaps. About 40 kilometers from the finish, the early breakaway was caught, and the race completely opened up.

A group featuring several big names then broke away, leading to a particularly tactical finish. No one wanted to start the final climb up Michaelgate as part of a large group.

Wellens, Matteo Trentin (Tudor), and Kim Heiduk (INEOS) had therefore tried to break away earlier, but without success. UAE Emirates-XRG had two horses in the race—Wellens and Florian Vermeersch—and sent the latter on an attack 2 kilometers from the finish.

Vermeersch started the final climb with a small lead, but his advantage proved insufficient. From the chasing group, Askey surged forward, and with a powerful burst of speed, he also shook Wellens off his wheel.

Ganna did a great job of limiting the damage and came out on top in second place, but the Italian from Netcompany INEOS was unable to catch up to Askey. Jasper Stuyven finished fourth, 9 seconds behind Wellens, ahead of Dutch rider Daan Hoole (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Trentin.

1. Lewis Askey
2. Filippo Ganna + 0.02
3. Tim Wellens ''
4. Jasper Stuyven + 0.09
5. Daan Hoole ''