Road

Running unopposed, UCI president Pat McQuaid was reelected to another four-year term Friday following a UCI congress held in conjunction with the world road race championships. The 60-year-old Irishman was the only candidate for the post, which he took over from Dutchman Hein Verbruggen in 2005. A former professional racer in the 1970s, McQuaid has also worked as a cycling coach, race organizer and president of Ireland's national federation. During his tenure McQuaid has worked hard to help globalize the sport, especially in Asia, the Americas and Oceania.

Australian Cadel Evans said he has virtually no chance of winning cycling's coveted rainbow jersey on home soil next year when the world road race championships are held in Geelong. Evans, who finished runner-up in the Tour de France in 2007 and 2008, is among a handful of contenders looking to end Spain and Italy's domination of the competition's road race here on Sunday. And he feels the profile of the 13.8km circuit that the peloton will race 19 times for a total distance of 262.2km suits his climbing talents better than the 2010 course.

Vuelta a España stage-winner Ryder Hesjedal has agreed to stay with Garmin-Slipstream through the 2011 season. “I’ve signed to stay with the team for two more years. The team has been pleased with me and I am very happy with the team,” Hesjedal told VeloNews. “It was pretty simple. We were always on the same page. We were in agreement early in the year to work out an agreement.”

Eric Barlevav won the final race of the USA Crits series Thursday night in Las Vegas, with his Mountain Khakis teammate Mark Hekman winning the field sprint behind to claim the series title. To put the cherry on top, Mountain Khakis won the team overall prize for the 2009 USA Crits. “It’s huge to win here,” said Barlevav. “USA Crits was definitely a big goal for our team. We tried to win all the races, and we tried to win the overall, so this is great for us.”

Kona wanted what all full-suspension bike manufacturers want in a trailbike, a platform that does everything well. But the solution isn't always so simple.

With hundreds of brands crammed into the Sands Convention Center, there are plenty of products — ranging from the humbug to the showstopper, and from the truly helpful to the truly useless. We found three companies with some innovative improvements to current standards and solutions to common problems. Take a look.

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Riding the momentum of Kristin Armstrong’s gold-medal performance at Wednesdays’ world time trial championship, the U.S. women’s road team is hoping to extract a little more hardware out of the UCI world road championship on Saturday.

“Thirty seconds!” yells the UCI official and instantaneously you see the fidgeting of fingers on hoods and legs clipped into pedals. In cyclocross, the sprint is at the beginning of the race, rarely the end. So racers get their bodies ready for that first shock to their systems from the word go. Legs bouncing all around in fast-twitch anticipation of the gun, eyes focused forward or on the wheel or course in front of them, heart rates instinctively racing without even having pedaled a stroke.

It was oh-so-close for Tom Zirbel in the elite men’s world time trial championship Thursday, who rode to an impressive fourth place against the best chrono-men in the world. The 30-year-old had a front-row seat in his first European race of his career to grab the “hot seat” in the 49.8km time trial after posting a time of 1:00:42.86 (49.214kph). That blazing pace stood for nearly three hours as rider after rider failed to knock him down.

Maybe Britain’s David Millar was right in saying that he’d “rather race for the win in the road race than second in the time trial" at the world championships this week in Mendrisio, Switzerland. Like Millar, most observers figured that Fabian Cancellara was a shoo-in to win the world time trial title on his home turf. And it wasn’t even a contest. Cancellara earned his third world time trial champion’s jersey, blazing through three laps on a 16.6km circuit near Mendrisio in just 57:55.

Kristin Armstrong put an exclamation point on the final week of her racing career with an emphatic victory in Wednesday’s elite women’s time trial. The Olympic champion whipped old foes and a new generation of faces by nearly one minute to retire with the rainbow jersey. But she’s not done yet. Armstrong will compete in Saturday’s road race, promising an exciting finish to her elite career. VeloNews European correspondent Andrew Hood caught up with Armstrong following her emotional victory:

Kristin Armstrong won her second world time trial title on Wednesday. Casey Gibson took a closer look at the bike she used to get another rainbow jersey.

The UCI management committee, meeting at the world championships in Switzerland, has voted to phase out the use of two-way radios in all aspects of road racing. Accepting a UCI road commission recommendation, committee members agreed to broaden a ban that already applies to junior and under-23 categories to all others, including the top tier of professional riders.

The women's podium repeated its 2008 order at CrossVegas Wednesday evening, as thousands of spectators saw a display of raw power and consistency. Later, under the lights at a soccer complex on the outskirts of the city, new faces emerged from the tactical men's race, frustrating an elite group of chasers. In both races, domestic riders prevailed against European challengers in this city that is so uniquely — if sometimes regrettably — American.

The doors of the Sands Expo and Convention Center opened on Wednesday, kicking off the 2009 Interbike trade show in Las Vegas. Our tech crew spent most of the day wandering the aisles intent upon finding new items that might catch the interest of VeloNews readers. But while new bikes, new wheels and other high-end components are the big draw, tech writer Lennard Zinn went looking for things that have a more utilitarian purpose, many of which can be used on a daily commute or training ride.

The rumor that Interbike 2009 might be smaller than in years past didn’t seem to hold up on opening day — there was quite a crowd queued up at 8:45 a.m. for the show's 9 a.m. opening at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, and we’re seeing plenty of cool new products in every category.

Reynolds RZR carbon wheelset

For most cyclocross pros — almost all of whom make their living racing mountain bikes or road bikes during the "off season" — CrossVegas is an odd confection: one of the most visible races of the North American season, with arguably the best field. Yet it comes so early in the season, and is on such an unusual course, that many racers enter it with something of a hit-or-miss attitude. "It's like the Tour of California for cyclocross," Jeremy Powers (Cannondale-cyclocrossworld.com) said Wednesday.

While most domestic road racers view either the Tour of Missouri or the USA Crits series finale in Las Vegas as the end of their long season, a select few are extending it through this weekend for the inaugural TD Bank Mayor's Cup Professional Criterium, held Saturday in Boston.

• 1. Alejandro Valverde (ESP), Caisse d'Epargne, 87:22:37
• 2. Samuel Sánchez (ESP), Euskaltel-Euskadi, at 55
• 3. Cadel Evans (AUS), Silence-Lotto, at 01:32
• 4. Ivan Basso (ITA), Liquigas, at 02:12
• 5. Ezequiel Mosquera (ESP), Xacobeo Galicia, at 04:27

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has announced a major shake-up of the world road race championship program as of 2012, which will be held in the Dutch province of Limburg. Limburg topped rival bids from Genoa in Italy and the Belgian town of Hooglede-Gits on Wednesday to win the right to host the 2012 world championships. The 2012 competition is set to begin with a trade team time trial, and throughout the week will also host the junior men's and women's road races and time trials, which have been held separately from the elite world championships for the past four years.

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Graham Watson captured Kristin Armstrong's return to the top of the podium on Wednesday during the elite women's time trial at the world road championships in Switzerland.

Dear Explainer, I always end up mumbling and changing the subject when someone asks me to explain the ProTour licensing process, especially this time of the year when new teams are forming and seem to be vying for position. Could you explain how this licensing process works? How many Pro Tour teams can there be? Who decides which teams those are? On what basis is that decision made? Jacque Van Audenhove Knoxville, Tennessee Dear Jacque,

The days are numbered on her racing career, but Kristin Armstrong was not feeling nostalgic Wednesday in her last major time trial of her career. Racing with the same intensity that delivered her the Olympic gold medal last year in Beijing, Armstrong powered to the rainbow jersey in the elite women’s time trial world championship Wednesday in Mendrisio, Switzerland. The reigning Olympic time trial gold medalist ripped the 26.8km course in 35 minutes, 26 seconds (45.4kph) to claim her second world title in four years and her fourth career worlds competition medal.

Graham Watson was on course and shooting during the under-23 men's time trial world championships in Mendrisio.

Oh yeah! Santa Cruz and Fisher's carbon, dually 29ers are the current supermodels of the mountain bike world, but what are you overlooking when you lust over these sexy beasts?

None other than Lance Armstrong tips Jack Bobridge as a name to watch for the future. The 20-year-old Aussie railed to the U23 men’s time trial world title Wednesday in Mendrisio to prove that Armstrong’s endorsement is deserved. “You couldn’t ask for much more than that for Lance to mention your name as an up-and-comer,” Bobridge said after dominating the 65-rider field. “It gives me extra motivation. I think I caught his eye a little bit and he’s been following my progress. I met him at the Tour Down Under this year and we had a chance to train together.”

No one can ever accuse Spanish veteran José Vicente "Chente" García Acosta of being a slacker. The Caisse d’Epargne rider completed his 25th grand tour Sunday with the conclusion of the 64th Vuelta a España. And that number is just from racing the Vuelta a España and the Tour de France. Somewhat surprisingly, García Acosta has never raced a Giro d’Italia since turning pro in 1995.

Alejandro Valverde doesn’t want any surprises from the Italians and will not sleep in Italy during this week’s world championships as planned. According to the Spanish daily AS, Valverde and possibly other members of the elite men’s road team will sleep in a hotel in Switzerland rather than with the rest of the Spanish national team at a hotel already reserved in Italy.

A special request by Cannondale pulled several of us out to Interbike’s Outdoor Demo at an uncomfortably early hour on Monday and then to a “secret location” billed Area 88 — actually a local self-storage unit — via vintage Mercedes Unimog to see a “proof of concept” prototype of the manufacturer’s Simon suspension fork. The Simon is a computer-controlled, electronically damped suspension fork, a project without a specific release date. Cannondale engineer Stanley Song has poured five years of undivided attention into the project.

After a day of riding road bikes at the Interbike Outdoor Demo on Monday, I hit the dirt on Tuesday to check out some new innovations on the mountain bike side. The Santa Cruz Tallboy is big 29er news, as it is a completely carbon full suspension 29er with 100mm (four inches of travel) and the frame weighs only five pounds (size M). Tallboys cost $2350 for the frame ($4700 for the SPX model with Shimano XT that I tested) and come even in an XXL size that fits me with a nearly 26-inch top tube.

USA’s Jeff Louder is a last-minute scratch from the U.S. world championship team because he has come down with the swine flu H1N1 virus. The BMC racer didn’t feel well and visited a doctor, who confirmed the diagnosis.

Küat, Lezyne and Trigon may not be huge names in the bike industry, but they've got some cool stuff. We checked out the latest at Outdoor Demo.

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From Banshee Bikes and Bell Sports to WTB and Xtracycle, more than 120 companies exhibited their wares at Outdoor Demo in the two days preceding Interbike. In the desert heat of Boulder City, just east of Las Vegas, thousands of bike shop owners and their crews wandered from pop-tent to pop-tent, scoping out the latest and greatest to take out for test rides on the singletrack and roads. Most of the bikes and gear on display fell within the standard confines of road and mountain. But, being a bike show, there is always some tomfoolery afoot, and the odd vendor hawking a unique product.

The UCI's world time trial and road championships are slated to begin on Wednesday in Mendrisio, Switzerland, but riders from all over are already plying the roads in preparation.

Photographer Casey Gibson spent Tuesday on the time trial course as riders tested their legs and adjusted their bikes for two days of racing against the clock.

Elite women and U23 men will race Wednesday, with the elite men taking center stage on Thursday.

Road racing begins Saturday with the elite women and U23s, and the elite men’s road race wrapping up events on Sunday.

The

When American Tejay Van Garderen rolls out of the start house at the under-23 world time trial championship on Wednesday in Mendrisio, Switzerland, he’ll do so as a medal favorite. The Colorado native, who spent 2008 and 2009 riding with the Rabobank Continental Professional team and will join Columbia-HTC next year, is fresh off a second-place overall finish at the Tour de l’Avenir (the “tour of the future”), the under-23 stage race run by Tour de France organizers ASO and viewed by many as a precursor to future grand tour contenders.

Alejandro Valverde faces an uncertain future following his breakthrough win at the Vuelta a España on Sunday in Madrid. Known as El Imbatido (the unbeaten one) since his amateur days, Valverde finally won a grand tour after finishing second, third, fourth and fifth in the Vuelta. But the victory that should lead the way to more success could simply be an empty triumph ahead of what is anything but clear sailing for the 29-year-old Spanish rider.

I was amazed to see the expansion of Las Vegas’s bike trail system; you can rely on bike paths most of the 40km from The Strip to Boulder City, the site of Interbike’s pre-show Outdoor Demo. The trail is longer than that, even, meandering down to Lake Mead, much of it in drainage sluices for a skate-park-like ride. It then continues unabated along the lake in a giant complete loop back on itself to eastern Las Vegas. Amazingly progressive, it is an enormous investment in bicycle infrastructure.

Patrick Lefevere, the general manager of QuickStep, said Tuesday he is in "constant contact" with Alberto Contador, discussing the possibility that the Tour de France winner might ride for the team in 2010. "For now we are waiting,” Lefevere told the Belgian newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen. “We really have to see if the Union Cycliste Internationale takes any action on the ProTour license of the Astana team. If the team’s license is revoked, there is a good possibility that we can recruit Contador."

Glaring sun, hot temperatures and a stiff wind didn’t snuff enthusiasm for the opening day of the Interbike On Dirt Demo. I managed a couple of mountain bike rides, but spent most of my time checking out road gear. Here are some highlights of the day, which are by no means comprehensive, but stay tuned — we have a whole week of tech reporting still to come. For more on some of the mountain bike finds by my colleague Matt Pacocha, check out Singletrack.com.

BMC teammachine SLR01

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After a few years of erecting one of the larger tents at Interbike’s Outdoor Dirt Demo but largely forgoing a presence at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, Cannondale and the rest of the Dorel Industries Cycling Sports Group (which includes Schwinn, GT and Mongoose) will have a 30-by-30-foot display this year. “For the past three years we’ve not been in the halls of the show, so we’re excited to be back on the floor,” said marketing manager Bill Rudell.

Fans who have followed the Vuelta a España for the past three weeks must have been wondering why so many riders were dropping out. Of the 198 starters, only 139 finished the race in Madrid on Sunday. Many quit because of injuries suffered in the overly frequent crashes, but the majority never planned to finish. The common refrain was: “I was just using the Vuelta to prepare for the world championships.” And who could blame them?

It’s here! Interbike: everyone’s favorite tradeshow, after-hours party, celebrity sighting, and schmooze-fest, all rolled in to one grand, cacophonic riot under the hot sun of Sin City. We’re planning to have six editors on the ground to bring you all the action, but before we even got to the airport, press leaks started rolling in. Here’s an assortment to whet your appetite, in no particular order.

GURU Cycles to launch two new bikes

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Jonathan Page (Planet Bike) and Sue Butler (Monavie-Cannondale) claimed wins at the Rad Racing Gran Prix of Cyclocross in Lakewood, Washington, on Sunday, on the second day of racing in the Seattle area.

There were no surprises in Sunday’s finale at the 64th Vuelta a España: André Greipel kicked to his fourth stage victory to dominate the sprints and Alejandro Valverde secured the grand tour victory that eluded him up to now in his otherwise prolific career. Columbia-HTC dominated the final charge to the line in the 110km stage from Rivas Vaciamadrid to seven circuits in downtown Madrid to stick a fork in the 2009 Vuelta. Greipel made easy work of Daniele Bennati (Liquigas) to win his fourth stage and the team’s fifth during the Spanish tour.

Davide Frattini and Laura Van Gilder won elite races at the UCI C2 Nittany Lion Cross at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center (a.k.a. T-Town Velodrome) on Saturday.

Swiss national champion Christian Heule (Rendementhypo) won the elite men’s race and British national champion Helen Wyman (Kona) won the elite women’s race at the 2009 FSA Star Crossed in Redmond, Washington, Saturday evening. Defending 2008 Star Crossed champions Jeremy Powers (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) and Sue Butler (Monavie-Cannondale) each finished second in their respective races.

Evald Boasson Hagen secured his overall victory in the Tour of Britain Saturday, safely finishing in the peloton at the end of the final stage in London. Barloworld's Michele Merlo win the final field sprint of the race, followed by Koldo Fernandez (Euskatel Euskadi) and Chris Sutton (Garmin-Slipstream). Sutton, who won one stage of the race, finished second overall, 23 seconds behind Boasson Hagen, who won four stages.

Saturday’s 27.5km time trial at the Vuelta a España was several races within one. In the battle for the stage, David Millar had enough in the tank to fend off some late challenges to win Garmin-Slipstream’s third stage during this year’s Vuelta and claim his first win since 2007. Millar stopped the clock in 35:53 (46.484kph), five seconds faster than Samuel Sánchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi ) and nine seconds faster than Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto).

Start Times – Stage 20 Time Trial

• 1. Damien Gaudin Bbox Bouygues Telecom - starts at 2:29 p.m.
• 2. Jens Mouris Vacansoleil Pro Cycling Team - starts at 2:30 p.m.
• 3. Martijn Maaskant Garmin-Slipstream - starts at 2:31 p.m.
• 4. J. Vicente García Acosta Caisse d’Epargne - starts at 2:32 p.m.
• 5. Frantisek Rabon Team Columbia-HTC - starts at 2:33 p.m.
• 6. Timothy Gudsell Française Des Jeux - starts at 2:34 p.m.
• 7. Massimiliano Mori Lampre-NGC - starts at 2:35 p.m.
• 8.

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Clink. At the lobby bar of Dallas’ W Hotel on Thursday evening, pro bike racers and bike racing fans alike held their champagne glasses high in toast of Team Hotel San Jose’s Heath Blackgrove, who scored his second consecutive victory at the TX Tough Grand Prix by out-sprinting a breakaway group of five riders. “We missed two big moves and were able to bring them back. It really speaks to the strength of our squad,” said Blackgrove, who placed in front of OUCH-Maxxis’ national criterium champion John Murphy.

Ben Swift (Katusha) took a hugely popular first professional win in Friday's seventh stage to become the first British stage winner in the Tour of Britain since Paul Manning in 2007. The Katusha rider sprinted to victory ahead of teammate Filippo Pozzato, with race leader Edvald Boasson Hagen (Columbia-HTC) in third. Boasson Hagen extended his overall lead ahead of Rabobank’s Kai Reus to 23 seconds and retained points jersey.

Another cold, rainy day seemed to take the spark out of the Vuelta a España in the last mountain stage going into this weekend’s finale. Juanjo Cobo (Fuji-Servetto) won out an elite, eight-man group to make it clear over the Cat. 1 Puerto de Navacerrada late in the four-climb, 179.8km 19th stage from Ávila to La Granja while Alejandro Valverde (Caisse d’Epargne) all but secured his first overall victory in a three-week grand tour.

The future of two-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador is still far from certain, but Garmin-Slipstream remains a top option if he can break his remaining year contract with the troubled Astana team. Contador said Garmin would be an attractive choice if can reach an agreement with Astana officials to exit the Kazakh-backed team. “(Garmin) is a very interesting option. It’s an interesting team, a strong team, an experienced team,” Contador said Friday. “They did a great job at the Tour this year and it would be a good option for me.”

Recently-crowned Tour of Portugal champion, Nuno Ribeiro, tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO before the race, the rider said confirmed Friday after being notified by cycling's world ruling body. Ribeiro also won the race in 2003 but his recent victory is now under a cloud after the results from doping control prior to the race, on August 6, were officially released Friday. The 32-year-old's Liberty Seguros team announced Friday that two other riders with the team, Spaniards Hector Guerra and Isidro Nozal, had also tested positive for EPO.

Despite reports to the contrary, Garmin-Slipstream team manager Jonathan Vaughters says Bradley Wiggins will continue to ride in blue-and-orange argyle in 2010. Responding to a story in Friday’s edition of the British newspaper The Guardian that described a Team Sky buy-out of Wiggins’ contract with Garmin for 2010, Vaughters told VeloNews via email, “It’s just untrue. There is no agreement in existence like this.”

Garmin-Slipstream lost three riders in Thursday’s 18th stage at the Vuelta a España, leaving the squad with just four going into the final weekend of the race. Ryder Hesjedal and Christian Meier did not start and Tom Danielson abandoned early in the stage from Talavera de la Reina to Ávila. Hesjedal’s exit was planned to allow him a few days’ recovery ahead of the world championships next weekend while Meier suffered a death in his family.

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Many were surprised to see Dave Zabriskie’s name absent from the list of riders on the U.S. national squad headed to the world championships next week in Switzerland. A two-time worlds time trial medalist, Zabriskie said he’s feeling the wear and tear of a long racing season. “My body is pretty beat up. My Achilles is acting up and I’ve done worlds the last four or five years,” Zabriskie wrote VeloNews in an e-mail. “I need one off every now and then.”

It’s been a long time since an Irishman won a stage at a grand tour. You have to go all the way back to the glory days of the Roche-Kelly golden era, with Stephen Roche taking the last win for Ireland in the 1992 Tour de France. Since then, there have been some close calls, but it’s mainly been a famine as Irish fans have patiently waited for a new crop of Irish riders to come through the ranks.

Columbia-HTC's Edvald Boasson Hagen claimed a fourth successive stage win to stretch his lead in the Tour of Britain standings to 19 seconds with two stages left to race. The 22-year-old won a sprint finish at the end of the 183.7-km sixth stage in England's west country and he will now expect to hold off second-placed Kai Reus over the course of Friday's penultimate stage and the 92.5-km race to the finish in London on Saturday. Boasson Hagen hit the front at 300 meters to go and nobody was able to pass him. Martin Reimer was second and Russell Downing was third.

Pearl Izumi is one of those companies that pushed to have a few 2010 products ready to show in July, for early looks. In Monaco we had a quick look at some clothing and high-end shoes. But now that fall tradeshow season is in full swing, Pearl has the entire line on display, and by the looks of things, Pearl is not resting on past success. Along with consistently innovative clothing, Pearl is charging ahead with shoe development, and has packed their high-end shoes with features that happily trickle down to mid-priced levels affordable by average riders.

Press Release

How can I route the Ergopower shift cable without kinking it?

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Where else but in Europe can Europe's "Final Countdown" be blared at high decibels without a hint of corniness? Let Adam Craig explain.

What started off as a snoozer ended up as a fairytale, at least for 22-year-old French rider Anthony Roux. With the chasing peloton breathing down his neck, the second-year pro from FDJeux took a huge dig with 2km to go to drop the remnants of the day’s main five-man break, reel in the attacking Martin Maaskant (Garmin-Slipstream) with 1km to go, flick him and then squirt across the line just a few bike lengths ahead of the hard-charging pack.

Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen claimed a third successive stage win to move into the overall lead of the Tour of Britain on Wednesday. The 22-year-old won a sprint finish ahead of Italian Filippo Pozzato and Britain's Russell Downing to claim his sixth Tour of Britain stage victory in two seasons. He now leads Dutch rider Kai Reus by nine seconds. In third place is Australia's Chris Sutton, who believes his hopes of winning the Tour may have gone as a result of Garmin-Slipstream teammate Bradley Wiggins' decision to quit the race.

Alejandro Valverde, Oscar Freire and Samuel Sanchez will lead Spain's bid to win the men's road race title at the world cycling championships next week in Mendrisio, Switzerland. All-rounder Valverde is the current Tour of Spain leader and has in the past narrowly missed out on winning cycling's coveted rainbow jersey, a feat achieved by Freire a record-equalling three times. Sanchez, who is currently ranked third in the Tour of Spain, is the reigning Olympic road race champion who like Valverde excels on hilly, selective courses.

Jake Keough (Kelly Benefit Strategies) and Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom) lead the 2009 USA CRITS Series after four events. The season-long series holds its penultimate event this Thursday night in Dallas, the TX TOUGH criterium. The finals are a week later during the Interbike show in Las Vegas. Keough is also leading the Champion System’s Best Young Rider (U25) Competition, while BMW-Bianchi’s Erica Allar is in the lead on the women’s side. Battley Harley Davidson’s Russ Langley and Colavita Sutter Home’s Cath Cheatley still holds the Storck Most Laps Led jersey.

During the middle part of the 2009 racing season the Subaru-Gary Fisher team gave Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, a racer with a preference for hardtails, a new full-suspension bike. To the surprise of many he raced it in some of the biggest events during the second half of this season. JHK rode Fisher’s new Superfly 100 in two world cups, the marathon national championships, which he won, and the last two stops of the Pro XTC series (where he won the overall series).

Norway's Edvald Boasson Hagen of Columbia-HTC won a second consecutive stage in the Tour of Britain Tuesday to move within one second of overall race leader, Kai Reus of Rabobank. "We're close now and so we have to try and win overall," said Columbia team coach Valerio Piva. "Edvald is on form, we've got a strong team here, and so why not? We've done it before." Australia's Chris Sutton also moved within striking distance of the overall lead with his fourth consecutive top three finish in the 148-km circuit stage around the Forest of Bowland.

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