Daniel Lloyd (Team IG-Sigma Sport) is one of the most experienced riders in the Tour of Britain peloton.
Here, the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia veteran casts a professional eye over the challenges ahead of the riders on today’s 146.9km fifth stage, which starts and finishes in Stoke on Trent.
The stage contains a combined 2,000 metres of climbing, including the ascent of Gun Hill, the last of three climbs, and one used last year by Jon Tiernan-Locke to launch an attack that helped seal his overall victory in the King of the Mountains competition. Will he repeat his effort today?
Lloyd also draws attention to the road through Warslow, not included in the Skoda King of the Mountains competition, but one sufficiently steep to have been used last year by Sky to create a selection of elite riders of which he was one.
Today’s stage is bookended by the climb of Cannock Chase, which the riders reach after just 27.6km, and ends with the short, steep climb of Potteries Way and a tight left hand bend to the finish line, one expected to deliver a sprint finish.
