The Tour of Britain, as a showcase of the country, has certainly won many admirers this year with a stunning descent of the Great Orme followed by the brutal climb of The Tumble.

Rising up at an average gradient of ten per cent throughout, the climb blew apart the peloton as Edoardo Zardini (Bardiani-CSF) soloed to victory.

The win sees the Italian pull on the yellow jersey, but strong rides from Michal Kwiatkowski (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) and Sir Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) – who recovered well on the second half of the climb – means he faces stiff competition if he wants to keep it.

For now, however, the Bardiani man was able to celebrate his victory and newly acquired jersey on the Welsh podium, atop the iconic climb.

Relive the action in the wide-screen gallery below, brought to you with the kind permission of Simon Wilkinson and www.swpix.com.