Almost a year after returning from a serious accident that threatened his career, the New Zealand cyclist Jack Bauer has won the fifth stage in the Tour of Britain.
Bauer won the sprint from the breakaway group and held off the fast-finishing peloton to claim stage five into Bath.
The win was his first European road stage victory and signals the end of a long road back to top form.
The 2014 Commonwealth Games medallist underwent months of rehabilitation following a serious crash in the Tour de France in 2015 and has dedicated himself to returning to the top level in the sport.
Bauer said the win means a lot.
Jack Bauer wins the fifth stage of the Tour of Britain. Photo: Supplied
"My fiancé Sarah and my family kept supporting me and believing in me," Bauer said. "It's nice for them to see I've still got it."
Bauer joined a four strong break away that began to attack eachother 7km from the finish with BMC rider Ameal Moinard clearing out on the climb.
With less than a kilometre to go, it appeared the break would be caught.
Bauer, however, remained cool as the sprinters from the peloton began to close in.
He took a leadout from breakaway companion Javier Moreno (Movistar) before kicking toward the line.
Bauer said he never looked around to see where the peloton was.
"No, no, no," he said. "I just watched the wheel in front, make sure you're being led out, not leading out.
"I just had a cool head. I didn't plan on being in the break today… but when it came to crunch time I was in position. The group was motivated. So I thought why not have a crack?"
Yellow jersey holder Julien Vermote retained his six-second overall lead over Britain's Steve Cummings, while Bauer is 15th overall.
A hilly sixth stage in the eight-day race takes the riders 150km from Sidmouth to Haytor in Dartmoor on Saturday.
