Wiggins leads Team Sky clean sweep

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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.