Cyclist Remco Evenepoel maintains victory over British opponents in stage 5 of the Tour of Britain at Tumble.
2025 Tour of Britain Men: Evenepoel Takes Queen Stage Victory
The 2025 Tour of Britain Men delivered a thrilling fifth stage, billed as the hardest of the week, featuring two ascents of the famous Tumble climb and three other categorised hills.
Lucas Hamilton set the pace early on, stringing out the bunch through the forest on the early slopes of the final climb. British Champion Sam Watson led the group onto the bottom of the final ascent.
A dangerous attack was put in by Oscar Onley, Pavel Sivakov, and Afonso Eulalio in the closing stages of the Tumble. However, their co-operation broke down, and the group was whittled down to around 20 riders with 3km of the climb left.
Remco Evenepoel, the leader of Soudal Quick-Step team, controlled the final climb into the headwind to perfection and reeled in the attackers. Thomas Gloag finished second, while Onley claimed third.
Evenepoel's victory on the queen stage of the tour marked his first stage win of the race. The Belgian rider is now motivated to win the race with another tough stage to come on the final day.
Romain Grégoire, the team leader of Groupama-FDJ who was ahead of Evenepoel in the overall classification after Stage 5, finished fifth in the same stage and retained his lead. Remco Evenepoel moved up to second overall, two seconds behind Grégoire.
Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) was dropped during the climb, while Bauke Mollema (Lidl-Trek) finished seventh.
The breakaway's advantage peaked at two-and-a-half minutes over the first climbs before the first ascent of the Tumble. Arensman made the first attack, followed by Evenepoel, Eulalio, Onley, and others who struggled back.
Van Wilder brought the leading trio back at the flamme rouge, ensuring an exciting sprint finish for the stage win. Evenepoel's victory on the Tumble climb was a testament to his climbing prowess and a significant boost for his overall race campaign.
