Bradley Wiggins today won the road race at the British National Cycling Championships.
At Stamfordham in Northumbria, the riders including Mark Cavendish who was mobbed by fans as he made his way to the start line for a 122.5 mile race, set off on a gorgeous day.
Team Sky had provided a good number of professionals for the race and they started the first main break. Six Team Sky riders namely Geraint Thomas - the 2010 British Champion, Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, Ian Stannard, Alex Dowsett and Peter Kennaugh all got away along with Bibby, House, Fleeman, Lampier, Wilkinson and Partridge.
They had a lead of 4 mins and 52 seconds before Thomas (pictured below), Wiggins and Kennaugh who finished second in last year's race broke away
After the first circuit which was 66.9 miles long, they were 2 mins and 30 seconds ahead of Ian Bibby, Ian Stannard and House, and seven minutes ahead of the rest of the peleton who had now sat up and were just riding towards the finish.
Such was the lead that Cavendish, Chris Froome, Jeremy Hunt, Daniel Lloyd (pictured below) and Roger Hammond all decided to pull out as the trio stayed clear with one lap to go of a smaller second circuit.
Wiggins went for it and won the race which affords him the honour of being able to wear the British white jersey with red, white and blue bands around it in all major road races.
Lizzi Armitstead is the British women's road race champion. She beat Nicola Cooke whose father and grandfather hail from Coventry.
Laura Trott won the U23 title.
Pictures copyright of Covsupport News Service. Credit CNS/KM