Italian holds off Chloe Hosking to take bunch sprintFatigued Lizzie Deignan finishes well down the fieldMarta Bastianelli sprinted to a first-ever stage win in the Women’s Tour of
Britain in Banbury, as a last-gasp breakaway was reeled in after attacking on the final climb of stage one, to Sibford Ferris.
![Marta Bastianelli sprints to win opening stage of Women’s Tour of Britain](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/56940d2414c461bb0fe8a7896c9aea37af349135/147_140_3411_2047/master/3411.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=593cc585ef45bfb9c4a97839550b3a4b)
The Italian, fifth in Saturday’s Paris-Roubaix Femmes behind race winner Lizzie Deignan, was the fastest finisher after the peloton had caught a five-rider attack on the run-in to Banbury and will now defend the leader’s jersey in Tuesday’s second stage, a circuit starting and finishing in Walsall.