Cees Bol wins Tour of Britain stage two in thrilling photo finish from Jake Stewart

Cees Bol snatched victory on stage two of the AJ Bell Tour of Britain by the tightest of margins.

The Dutchman came out on top in a chaotic sprint finish in Duns, beating Jake Stewart into second place with Corbin Strong in third.

Bol's DSM team-mates had reeled in an attack by Bora-Hansgrohe's Nils Politt and massed at the front of the pack in a bid to control the finish.

Stewart (Great Britain) made the first move and crossed the line in an apparent dead heat with the Dutchman, who was given the victory on a photo finish.

"I haven't seen the footage yet, but I think on the line Jake and me didn't know it," Bol said. "It was all-out, and I was actually cramping a bit.

"I had almost nothing left so I thought I better do the bike throw early, then do another pedal stroke and you can see how close it is. It's only just, but it's enough."

Strong retains his overall lead, extending his advantage over second-placed Stewart to eight seconds, with Omar Fraile in third. Ineos Grenadiers' Tom Pidcock was seventh on stage two and sits fifth on general classification.

Strong said: "I’m confident as I am sprinting well at the moment. I was there or thereabouts but there was some fast guys still there at the finish though, so third was the best I could do today. I’m really happy again, and hopefully it continues.

"It’s a really nice and pretty humbling experience actually. Having some guys that I’ve grown up watching like Michal Kwiatkowski and Riche Porte congratulate me is a really cool feeling as a young neo-pro. It was a nice day for me and hopefully it continues."

Tuesday's third stage is a 163.6km route from Durham to Sunderland, with riders rolling out in the shadow of the city’s famous cathedral. The peloton will then follow a hilly route through the North Pennines, before heading back through County Durham and finishing in Sunderland.