The final stage of the Tour of Britain featured an active opening phase. Three riders eventually formed the early breakaway and entered the finale with a nice advantage, with two challenging climbs on the menu.

De Vries once again showed her strength in the finale, keeping up with the best on the climbs. As the breakaway was caught just before the finish, a full peloton entered the final kilometre. Veenhoven was slightly too far back in the final few hundred metres, but thanks to a strong finish, she managed to cross the line in sixth place. De Vries finishes fifth overall.

“I got the maximum out of myself this week and I’m happy with my fifth place overall,” De Vries said afterwards. “I didn’t expect to finish fifth on this course, as I didn’t think it would suit me. It’s great to see that I can now stay with the best on the short, explosive climbs. That gives me confidence for the upcoming races.”

Sportive director Jan Boven was also pleased with De Vries’ performance. “One of our goals was to fight for a place on the overall podium, and we competed well for that. Femke showed that she was sharp every day, and we didn’t make any mistakes either. Unfortunately, the podium was out of reach, but it’s a good way to finish the race with a fifth place overall. Femke has once again proved that she can ride a strong GC.”