‘This victory is for my grandpa’ – Nils Politt wins final stage of the Tour of Britain as Tim Wellens seals overall victory

The final stage of the Tour of Britain took place in the Scottish Borders, with Nils Politt securing a solo victory in Earlston, while his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammate Tim Wellens finished the race in the chasing group, ultimately claiming the overall victory. Along with three other UAE Team Emirates-XRG riders, Politt and Wellens joined an exposed section of moorland as they raced over the Duddy Bank climb, roughly 80km from the finish line.

Filippo Ganna, representing Netcompany Ineos, supported the group to bridge across to the early breakaway, and Ben Wiggins (Great Britain) and Marcus Sander Hansen (BHS-PL Beton Bornholm) also joined the move, forming an eight-rider front group. Lewis Askey and Olav Kooij remained in the chasing group, as the UAE Team Emirates-XRG riders began to ride a five-rider team time trial at the front of the race, maintaining a one-minute advantage over the challengers.

Politt executed an attack with 9km left in the race, and, with the chasing group now over a minute behind, Wellens secured the green leader's jersey, securing the overall win. Wiggins managed to bridge across from the lead group, initially following Politt's lead, but eventually fell back to the rear group. Politt crossed the finish line in Earlston, claiming his first win outside of Germany since his Tour de France victory in 2021, stating, "This victory is for my grandpa."

Ganna ultimately won the sprint from the group behind, taking the red points jersey from Askey, who settled for second place in the general classification. Wellens finished the race safely, securing the overall victory, and credited his teammate Mikkel Bjerg for helping to create the gap in the crosswind conditions.