Groenewegen holds off Ewan, Boom retains lead

London - Dylan Groenewegen held off Australia's Caleb Ewan to land the seventh and penultimate stage of the Tour of Britain on Saturday as Lars Boom retained the overall lead by eight seconds.

Ewan was denied a fourth stage win in this year's race by Groenewegen at the rain-drenched finish in Cheltenham after a 185km ride from Hemel Hempstead.

Edvald Boasson Hagen, Gorka Izagirre and Dion Smith launched the final attack in the last 10 kilometres and pulled out a small gap.

But the peloton was back together for the final kilometre, which included two sharp turns.

Groenewegen came through unscathed to take victory ahead of a fast-finishing Ewan and prevented team-mate Boom's rivals taking the vital bonus seconds.

Boom will begin Sunday's final stage from Worcester to Cardiff in front from BMC's Stefan Kung, while Boom's Lotto NL-Jumbo team-mate Victor Campenaerts is nine seconds back and Team Sky's Vasil Kiryienka a further second adrift.