Wout van Aert surge seals Tour of Britain lead in Felixstowe

A late solo surge by Wout van Aert sealed an unforgettable Tour of Britain stage triumph in a seaside town in Suffolk.

The Belgian appeared to be leading out his Jumbo-Visma team-mate Olav Kooij but instead surged clear of the peloton in the final kilometre in Felixstowe to win stage five.

Great Britain's Ethan Vernon was three seconds back in second place, with Dutch rider Danny van Poppel third.

Prior to the race, much of the talk had centred on whether Kooij would take a record fifth consecutive stage victory at the race, with a bunch sprint anticipated to round off the 192.4km route around the town.

It was Van Aert's surprise move that caught out his rivals - and the assembling sprint trains - out as he punched the air in delight while crossing the line with a clear gap to the next set of riders.

Hundreds of people had showed up to the area, as the racers took off shortly after 10.45am.

SuffolkNews caught up with some of those attending the event to hear their thoughts on the occasion.

The eight-stage race concludes in Caerphilly on Sunday, September 10.