Wiggins leads Team Sky clean sweep

Bradley Wiggins has been crowned the new British national road race champion after a race dominated by his Team Sky squad, who claimed the first four places.

2010 National Champion Geraint Thomas was the runner-up, with an in-form Peter Kennaugh third. It’s the third time in a row the 22-year-old from the Isle of Man has been on the national road race podium. Ian Stannard finished fourth and Ian Bibby of Motorpoint Pro Cycling was the first rider to break the Team Sky hegemony, finishing fifth, but over eight minutes behind Wiggins.

HTC-Highroad’s sprinter Mark Cavendish punctured early on at the course centred on the village of Stamfordham near Newcastle-upon-Tyne and spent most of the race in the peloton. He eventually abandoned.

Wiggins was very proud to pull on the white national champion’s jersey.

“It hasn’t hit home yet really. It means everything to me. You see how I wear that time trial jersey with pride and so to go into the Tour in the jersey is fantastic, it really is. This was all or nothing today. Everyone wants to win this race.”

Sky’s dominance of the race began on the first lap when they set the pace up the Ryals climb, the major obstacle of the 197km race. The team forced a break of a dozen riders, which included six from Team. These included Ian Stannard, Chris Froome, and Alex Dowsett. On the final ascent of Ryals, Kennaugh, Wiggins and Thomas broke clear and soon built up a two-minute advantage over the chasers.

The trio made light work of the four remaining laps of the 22km finishing circuit and the race was essentially over with only the final podium places to be decided. On the final lap team hierarchies were put aside and the three were left to battle for the win without intervention.

Kennaugh disappointed

A disappointed Kennaugh, who opened the hostilities on the final lap said: “He (David Brailsford) called us back to the car gave us a bottle and said may the best man win. I’ll win it one day hopefully.”

Thomas said: “I just tried to gamble a bit because I knew Pete really wanted it. When Brad went, he gapped me and I just hoped Pete would close it for me, but Brad’s Brad. You give him 20 metres and it’s hard to close.”

The Welshman said he was happy the jersey is going back to the Tour de France with Team Sky.

“It’s good the jersey’s going to be at the front and going for the win. Morale’s good, the teams good, we’re in the best position to do well,” he said.

The Nationals championships were held on a course called the Beaumont Trophy. Wiggins used it in his programme leading up to the 2009 Tour where he finished fourth, but didn’t ride last year.

“This was on the programme and part of the taper for the Tour de France. I had it two years ago and I had a good Tour. It was something Shane Sutton (his coach at Team Sky) said he wanted me to ride win or lose.”

Wiggins' victory means he now holds both the national road race and the time trial jersey.

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Full Results
1Bradley Wiggins (Sky Pro Cycling)4:41:08
2Geraint Thomas (Sky Pro Cycling)0:00:35
3Peter Kennaugh (Sky Pro Cycling)Row 2 - Cell 2
4Ian Stannard (Sky Pro Cycling)0:05:41
5Ian Bibby (Motorpoint Pro Cycling)0:08:02
6Kristian House (Rapha Condor Sharp)0:08:05
7Ben Swift (Sky Pro Cycling)0:08:13
8Yanto Barker (Pendragon - Le Col - Colnago)0:08:20
9Scott Thwaites (Endura Racing)0:08:28
10Andrew Fenn (An-Post)Row 9 - Cell 2
11Erick Rowsell (100% ME)Row 10 - Cell 2
12Richard Handley (Team Raleigh)Row 11 - Cell 2
13Simon Yates (100% ME)0:09:56
14Luke Rowe (100% ME)0:10:44
15David Clarke (Endura Racing)Row 14 - Cell 2
16Tom Moses (100% ME)0:10:47
17James Sampson (Motorpoint Pro Cycling)0:10:51
18Andrew Tennant (Rapha Condor Sharp)0:11:16
19Joshua Hunt (UVCA Troyes)Row 18 - Cell 2
20Ben Stockdale (Team Qoroz)Row 19 - Cell 2
21Tom Last Sigma (Sport-Specialized CT)0:11:21
22Joe Perrett (Twenty3c-Orbea)0:11:25
23Simon Richardson (Sigma Sport-Specialized CT)0:11:27
24Adam Yates (Maxgear RT)0:11:29
25Andrew Griffiths (Twenty3c-Orbea)0:11:31
26Robert Partridge (Endura Racing)0:11:42
27Andrew Hawdon (Herbalife/Wheelbase)0:12:09
28Matt Gee (Team Raleigh)Row 27 - Cell 2
29James Stewart (Team UK Youth)Row 28 - Cell 2
30Will Berjgfelt (Motorpoint Pro Cycling)Row 29 - Cell 2
31Robert Hassan (Endura/Pedal Power Development)Row 30 - Cell 2
32Tomas Swift-Metcalfe (Tavira/Prio)0:12:11
33Rob Carter (Velo 29 CT)Row 32 - Cell 2
34Alex Coutts (Giant Kenda Racing Team)0:12:13
35Ben Greenwood (Rapha Condor Sharp)Row 34 - Cell 2
36Steve Lampier (Sigma Sport-Specialized CT)Row 35 - Cell 2
37Richard Cartland (Team Corley Cycles)0:12:20
38Ian Wilkinson (Endura Racing)Row 37 - Cell 2
39Dan Fleeman (Team Raleigh)Row 38 - Cell 2
40Jack Adams (Forme Procycliste SanLamere)-1lap
41Evan Oliphant (Endura Racing)Row 40 - Cell 2
42Pete Williams (Motorpoint Pro Cycling)Row 41 - Cell 2
43David Lines (Endura/Pedal Power Development)Row 42 - Cell 2
44Ross Creber (CyclePremier.com-Metaltek)Row 43 - Cell 2
45Mark McNally (AN Post Sean Kelly)Row 44 - Cell 2
46Daniel Patten (Asfra Racing Team)Row 45 - Cell 2
47Russell Hampton (Sigma Sport-Specialized CT)Row 46 - Cell 2
48Junior Heffernan (Pendragon - Le Col - Colnago)Row 47 - Cell 2
49Russell Downing (Sky Pro Cycling)Row 48 - Cell 2
50Liam Holohan (Team Raleigh)Row 49 - Cell 2
51Simon Thomas (Asfra Flanders RT)Row 50 - Cell 2
52Daniel Smith (Velo29 Cycling Team)Row 51 - Cell 2
53Steve Adams (Sigma Sport-Specialized CT)Row 52 - Cell 2
54Jack Kirk (Cyclisme Competition Multipole)Row 53 - Cell 2
55Perry Bowater (Asfra RTR)Row 54 - Cell 2
56Tom Murray (Sigma Sport-Specialized CT)Row 55 - Cell 2
57James McLaughlin (Pendragon - Le Col - Colnago)Row 56 - Cell 2
58Ian Knight (Team Corley Cycles)Row 57 - Cell 2
59Lee Davies (Motorpoint Pro Cycling)Row 58 - Cell 2
60Jonathan Mould (100% ME)Row 59 - Cell 2
61Jack Pullar (Vanilla Bikes)Row 60 - Cell 2
62Matt Jones (Team Raleigh)Row 61 - Cell 2
63Nathan Edmondson (USP Issoirenne)Row 62 - Cell 2
64Tom Copeland (Sigma Sport-Specialized CT)Row 63 - Cell 2
65Alex Higham (WyndyMilla Maxifuel)Row 64 - Cell 2
66Duncan Moralee (Team Sportcover Strategic Altur)Row 65 - Cell 2
67Dexter Gardias (Forme Procycliste SanLamere)Row 66 - Cell 2
68Joseph Kelly (100% ME)Row 67 - Cell 2
69Dan Duguid (Sigma Sport-Specialized CT)Row 68 - Cell 2
70Gary Hand (Endura/Pedal Power Development)Row 69 - Cell 2
71Ian Taylor (Herbalife/Wheelbase)Row 70 - Cell 2
72Matthew Green (VL Technics-Abutriek)Row 71 - Cell 2
73Jake Tanner (Team Sportcover Strategic Altur)Row 72 - Cell 2
74Tom Barras (CyclePremier.com-Metaltek)Row 73 - Cell 2
75Jake Hales (Team Corley Cycles)Row 74 - Cell 2
76Mike Cuming (Twenty3c-Orbea)Row 75 - Cell 2
77Daniel McLay (Omega Pharma-Lotto-Davo)Row 76 - Cell 2

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Sam started as a trainee reporter on daily newspapers in the UK before moving to South Africa where he contributed to national cycling magazine Ride for three years. After moving back to the UK he joined Procycling as a staff writer in November 2010.
 

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