Tim Wellens Wins 2026 Tour of Britain as Politt Takes Final Stage in Earlston
Belgium's Tim Wellens sealed overall victory at the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain on Sunday, stretching his lead across the final stage to finish 42 seconds clear of the field after five days of racing from Lincoln to Earlston.
Germany's Nils Politt won the final stage — a 156.1-kilometre run through the Scottish Borders — launching his attack inside the last nine kilometres and holding off Britain's Ben Wiggins to claim his first stage win since 2022. Wellens crossed the line 21 seconds behind Politt in eighth place, but that was enough to double his advantage at the top of the GC (the general classification — the overall standings on accumulated time).
He had started the day with a 21-second cushion over Britain's Lewis Askey. By the finish, that gap had grown to 42 seconds, with Askey settling for second overall, 40 seconds behind the Belgian. A third rider from Belgium's golden generation, Jasper Stuyven, completed the podium in third, 21 seconds further back.
The race began on Wednesday, September 2, when Askey powered up the cobbled Michaelgate climb in Lincoln to win the opening stage and pull on the leader's jersey — his first victory of the season, on a finish that suited a classics specialist. Italy's Filippo Ganna, the former world time trial champion, finished second on that stage.
What makes this year's edition stand out is the depth of British talent on display. Beyond Askey's runner-up finish, Elliot Rowe placed sixth overall, Mark Donovan ninth and Ben Wiggins tenth — three Britons inside the top ten of their home tour. Wiggins, son of 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins, also featured in the decisive move on the final stage before Politt proved too strong.
There was a poignant moment before the last stage rolled out. Riders formed a guard of honour for Britain's Ben Swift, the 38-year-old who announced he will retire at the end of the 2026 season. Swift, a former Milano-Sanremo podium finisher and a fixture of the British professional peloton for over a decade, was applauded onto the start line by the riders he has raced alongside for years.
Wellens, a 34-year-old from Sint-Truiden, has built his career on exactly the kind of rolling, windswept terrain the Tour of Britain serves up. A former Belgian time trial champion and a winner of stages at the Vuelta a España, he thrives when the road goes up and down all day and the weather turns. The race's five stages — short, punchy and rarely flat — suited him, and he never surrendered the lead once he took it.
The 2026 Tour of Britain covered five stages across four days of racing, starting in Lincoln and winding north through England and Scotland to finish in Earlston. The overall standings:
- Tim Wellens (Belgium)
- Lewis Askey (Great Britain) — at 40 seconds
- Jasper Stuyven (Belgium) — at 1 minute 1 second 4–10. Including Elliot Rowe (6th), Mark Donovan (9th) and Ben Wiggins (10th)
