With the bells of beautiful Ampleforth Abbey peeling in celebration, Sky made it a hat trick of Elite British National Road Race Championships; strong man Ian Stannard following on from Geraint Thomas in 2010 and Bradley Wiggins in 2011.
Team mate Alex Dowsett made it a Sky one-two, with Raleigh’s Russell Hampton taking a well deserved bronze after matching the two Sky riders blow for blow until the last lap of the technical finishing circuit in beautiful North Yorkshire.
Stannard’s win was achieved in the grand manner – right there at the start of the five man break; driving it hard; then, when two of his companions cracked he took longer spells; and when it looked like the move might be brought back, he turned up the watts to put more than nearly eight minutes into what was left of the bunch by the end.
When we asked him at the finish what the Sky tactic for the day was, he replied; ‘keep the title in the team, simple, eh?’
Big loser on the day was Endura; they missed the break, chased hard, brought the gap down but couldn’t hold the rampant Stannard when he pressed harder on the pedals.
Last year we brought six spectators down for the National Road Race Championship – but this year it was just four; Callum and Dave joining us for the gig.
That’s down to the disbandment of the Dan Fleeman fan club, Scotland chapter – since our boy turned to the MTB it’s just not the same.
We caught sight of the break in the ladies race – Emma Pooley on the front, three on her wheel.
One girl was in between, then a yawning gap back to a small group and a dawdling peloton.
Our first chat of the day was with Node 4’s James Moss – just back from the Tour de Beauce, straight into the mid-week British Criterium Championship and not sure how he’ll do today.
Former champion, Hamish Haynes is across from Belgium – form has been slower to show this year, but top ten placings in the kermises have been coming and the eternal Haynes optimism is glowing again.
I’ve been betting Dave large quantities of Scotland’s national drink – Irn Bru – for the last two years that Evan will make the top ten at the British.
We’re treble or quits, this year – I’m due him a truck load of the stuff if Evan doesn’t get up there.
Another Scotsman who’s been riding well, but far from the hills of Beauce is Michael Nicholson – he’s just signed for Belgian/Algerian squad Geofco-Ville d’Algers.
Former champion, Rapha’s Kristian House is looking sharp and thinks that Sky will go for it from the gun but as he says; ‘there’s 20 guys could win.’
Our blogger Dan Patten (Soenens-Glass Construct) is over from Belgium for the ‘big one’ but whilst the twisty bits of the circuit are reminiscent of Flanders, the winding hills of North Yorkshire aren’t.
Scotsman Robbie Hassan (Herbalife) leads the bunch up the leafy little climb from the abbey with Jez Hunt stone last – he needs space to get on top of that 11 tooth sprocket – and the 2012 British elite road race championships are off and running.
Lap one of the first of three on the big circuit and our picnic (Callum took us up-market, with bread sticks and humus) in Ampleforth is interrupted by a squall.
‘Four clear with eight chasing’ says the announcer’s car.
I almost miss the break, they’re on us at warp speed – Giro grafter Ian Stannard and former Euro time trial champion Alex Dowsett are there for Sky, plus former British criterium champion Graham Briggs (Raleigh) and an Endura, we think.
The bunch is one long, long line, swishing over the wet tar in the rain, with Jez Hunt, Luke Rowe and Ben Swift policing the front.
It could be all over – it’s up to the other teams to bridge across and if they do, the three men with the thin blue lines up their back will counter.
Rapha’s former British champion, Kristian House is off the back – he must have punctured.
Lap two and we have an ID on the break, it’s grown to five – Dowsett, Stannard, Briggs plus Oli Beckingsale (Endura MTB Racing) and another Raleigh, Russell Hampton.
Hampton was just beginning to make his move to get aboard the Stannard Express when he passed us the first time – he’s done well to make it up.
There are four at around two minutes: Thomas Moses (100% ME), Nicolas Hutchins (GS Gruppetto), James McLaughlin (Sojasun Espoirs) and Joshua Edmondson (Team Colpack).
And it looks like it’s all over, from where we’re standing.
Endura are chasing at the head of the peloton – three of them, but the gap is yawning into many minutes.
