World road race champion Lotte Kopecky has won the 2024 Women’s Tour of Britain after leading the race from the first stage.
The Belgian finished fourth in Sunday’s final stage but it was enough to see her claim victory with a 17-second advantage.
Britain’s Anna Henderson finished in second place overall with Christine Majerus of Luxembourg third.
There were bizarre scenes at the finish line as Kopecky, 28, who was on course to win the 99km stage from Manchester to Leigh, eased off with 250 metres remaining to allow her team-mate Majerus to pass and claim victory.
Majerus moved in front and lifted her arm prematurely in celebration, before being pipped on the line as Liv AlUla Jayco’s Australian rider Ruby Roseman-Gannon claimed her first World Tour stage win.
Talking about the incident Kopecky said: “We made this deal that she is going to win today but maybe it was a stupid mistake.
“It could have been a nice ending for Christine, but we finished well as a team.
“Maybe it is a little funny and it is what it is and I’m not disappointed.”
Britain’s Lizzie Deignan, who won the Combativity Award and the blue jersey for Queen of the Mountains, came seventh overall.
In the team standings Great Britain claimed second place behind Kopecky’s SD Worx-Protime team.
The four-stage Tour of Britain began on Thursday in Wales.
The event was cancelled in 2023 after organisers failed to find the funding required for the race.
Stage four results
1. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus/Liv AlUla Jayco) 2hrs 37mins 51secs
2. Christine Majerus (Lux/Team SD Worx-Protime) Same time
3. Lorena Wiebes (Ned/Team SD Worx-Protime)
4. Lotte Kopecky (Bel/Team SD Worx-Protime)
5. Eline Jansen (Ned/VolkerWessels Pro Cycling)
6. Pfeiffer Georgi (GB/Team dsm-firmenich PostNL)
7. Flora Perkins (GB)
8. Elinor Barker (GB)
9. Josie Talbot (Aus/Cofidis)
10. Anna Henderson (GB)
General classification
1. Lotte Kopecky (Bel/Team SD Worx-Protime) 13hrs 03mins 40secs
2. Anna Henderson (GB) +17secs
3. Christine Majerus (Lux/Team SD Worx-Protime) +34secs
4. Pfeiffer Georgi (GB/Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +38secs
5. Letizia Paternoster (Ita/Liv AlUla Jayco) +40secs
6. Eline Jansen (Ned/VolkerWessels Pro Cycling) +43secs
7. Lizzie Deignan (GB) +46secs
8. Victorie Guilman (Fra/St Michel-Mavic-Auber 93) Same time
9. Ruby Roseman-Gannon (Aus/Liv AlUla Jayco) +2mins 50secs
10. Lorena Wiebes (Ned/Team SD Worx-Protime) +4mins 14secs