It may be August, not March, but Ian Stannard showed why he is tipped to win a Classic with a gutsy ride to finish second on the final stage of the Eneco Tour.
Stage seven saw the peloton tackle a 208km route which included some of Belgium’s most infamous cobbled climbs, including three ascents of the Muur van Geraardsbergen, made famous by the Tour of Flanders.
Stannard formed part of an eight-man break and rode away from his rivals, before Zdenek Stybar (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) jumped from the front of the peloton and bridged the gap to the former British national champion.
Stybar, who started the day four seconds off the race lead, caught Stannard ahead of the final ascent of the Muur and the Czech cyclo-cross star surged past the Team Sky man in the final straight to claim the stage win and, with it, overall victory.
