Coventry cyclist Jake Stewart relishing home roads at Tour of Britain

Jake Stewart is relishing the special feeling of racing on home roads as he supports a British race leader to defend his lead at the Lloyds Tour of Britain. The 26-year-old from Coventry rides for NSN Cycling Team alongside overall leader Lewis Askey who holds a 12-second advantage over second-placed Tim Wellens in the general classification (GC). Stewart is playing a supporting role on home roads, with Askey and sprinter Ethan Vernon both contesting stages for the Swiss team. "It's always difficult when we come to a stage race and we are going for GC and also for sprints, so I'm doing a bit of both," he said. "Given where the parcours are, they're not really hard enough for the climbers so the faster guys and the classics guys are having to do a bit of everything. "It's trying to put Ethan in a good place for the sprints and then also support Lewis through his stages." Stewart helped set Askey up for a break on stage one which saw him earn a stage win in Lincoln and his biggest time advantage, before guiding him safely from Boston to Skegness on stage two as Stewart finished ninth himself. And while NSN Cycling Team, who are co-owned by Barcelona legend Andrés Iniesta, might not be a British team themselves, the British core of their team at the Tour of Britain are ensuring that the home nation are in pole position to win. It is an experience Stewart is familiar with, having been part of the team that delivered Stephen Williams to the green winner's jersey two years ago in 2024. "It's always special and nice going back to the UK. I haven't been back here in two years now so to come back here racing you see a lot of familiar faces, family and friends," said Stewart. "Even the commissaires, they were commissaires at races when I was a junior so it's a special feeling to race on home roads. "When I was here in 2024, we were with Stevie and we got pretty close with Ethan on some sprints as well. It's always nice to be able to come here and lead the race and be successful."