02 May 2019
Top 10 for Lawless in Yorkshire opener
Related riders
Chris Lawless
Tour de Yorkshire stage one: Doncaster - Selby, 182.5km.
Chris Lawless sprinted to a top 10 finish on the opening stage of Tour de Yorkshire as Jesper Asselmen ((Roompot-Charles) pipped the sprinters to the line after being in a stage-long breakaway.
Asselman was part of the early break that narrowly managed to evade capture in the closing metres, putting in a final burst to the line as the peloton loomed large behind, with Lawless part of the pack.
The Wigan sprinter finished ninth on the stage, with leader Chris Froome on the same time in the peloton.
Earlier, Team INEOS had worked tirelessly on the front of the bunch in miserable wet and windy conditions to bring the break to heel, with Asselman joined by Dan Bigham (Ribble Pro Cycling), Jacob Hennessy (Canyon-dhb), Kevin Vermaerke (Hagens Berman Axeon), Sean Flynn and Joe Nally (both Great Britain).
Strong work by Ian Stannard, Leonardo Basso and Michal Golas maintained the gap at around the 1'30" mark until Bigham, Asselman, Vermaerke and Nally broke clear of their fellow escapees with 36km to go and added to their advantage.
Team INEOS then battled hard to bring them to heel, receiving help from other teams too late in the day, to cut the gap and Lawless was left to fight for the minor placings in the Selby rain.
Asselman was part of the early break that narrowly managed to evade capture in the closing metres, putting in a final burst to the line as the peloton loomed large behind, with Lawless part of the pack.
The Wigan sprinter finished ninth on the stage, with leader Chris Froome on the same time in the peloton.
Earlier, Team INEOS had worked tirelessly on the front of the bunch in miserable wet and windy conditions to bring the break to heel, with Asselman joined by Dan Bigham (Ribble Pro Cycling), Jacob Hennessy (Canyon-dhb), Kevin Vermaerke (Hagens Berman Axeon), Sean Flynn and Joe Nally (both Great Britain).
Strong work by Ian Stannard, Leonardo Basso and Michal Golas maintained the gap at around the 1'30" mark until Bigham, Asselman, Vermaerke and Nally broke clear of their fellow escapees with 36km to go and added to their advantage.
Team INEOS then battled hard to bring them to heel, receiving help from other teams too late in the day, to cut the gap and Lawless was left to fight for the minor placings in the Selby rain.
What's next?
Stage two is a short, sharp test of 137km, which could be another day for the fast men to take the stage victory. A sprint looks likely after the peloton receives a sneak preview of the 2019 World Championships circuit in Harrogate
Stage two is a short, sharp test of 137km, which could be another day for the fast men to take the stage victory. A sprint looks likely after the peloton receives a sneak preview of the 2019 World Championships circuit in Harrogate
Stage one result and overall standings
1. Jesper Asselman (Roompot - Charles) 4:05:45
1. Jesper Asselman (Roompot - Charles) 4:05:45
2. Filippo Fortin (Cofidis) s.t.
3. Jonas van Genechten (Vital Concept - B&B Hotels) s.t.
4. Boy van Poppel (Roompot-Charles) s.t.
5. Gabriel Cullaigh (Team Wiggins Le Col) s.t.
6. Chris Lawless (Team INEOS) s.t.
