By Gareth James
Stevie Williams paid tribute to his teammates after he rode to a back-to-back victories at the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain.
The Welsh rider took his second stage win of the race to extend his lead at the top of the general classification.
It was another masterclass from Williams, but he pointed to the role of his teammates for Israel-Premier Tech in holding off first stage winner Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) in damp conditions.
https://twitter.com/TourofBritain/status/1831697014649757833
After extending his overall lead to 16 seconds, Williams said: “It was a really hard day, really demanding.
“It was a real privilege to be a part of. The team were unbelievable, exceptional.
“The way they rode that and controlled, it was amazing. I’m really proud to bring it across the line.
“I did the last kilometre, but they did the four hours before it.
“I think everyone had to attack us and in the end a group did get away, but they didn’t get
much of a gap and the race opened up again.
“It was a bit of a mess, it turned into a bit of a casino after a few of hours. We got it back under control and the boys did an exceptional job all day.”
⭐Teamwork makes the dream work!
Stage winner and race leader Stevie Williams was full of praise for his teammates after his rivals threw everything at him on stage three.#TourOfBritain | @LloydsBank | @IsraelPremTech pic.twitter.com/4KW2HPu9oI
— Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain (@TourofBritain) September 5, 2024
The riders tackled 2,282m of climbing over the 166km, taking in all four boroughs of South Yorkshire, starting on Arundel Gate in Sheffield city centre, and passing through Rotherham and Doncaster, before an uphill finish on County Way in Barnsley.
Williams’ sprinting win for a second day in a row also sees him lead in the points classification as the Aberystwyth rider currently sits 16 seconds ahead of youngster Oscar Onley on the general classification.
Stage four on Friday 6 September sees the East Midlands stage of the race, starting from outside of Derby Arena at 11am, and finishing alongside Sconce & Devon Park in Newark-on-Trent after 138.5 kilometres of racing.
Live coverage on ITV4 begins at 10.45am.
https://twitter.com/BBCSportWales/status/1831731517326029292
Read our most recent DS stories on Stevie Williams.
Stevie Williams Vows To Stay Ahead Of The Rest At Tour Of Britain