Sunday 26 June 2016 19:07, UK
Adam Blythe out-sprinted Mark Cavendish to win the British road race title in Stockton-on-Tees.
Blythe (Tinkoff) and Cavendish (Team Dimension Data) went head-to-head in the closing metres of the race in County Durham, with the 26-year-old from Sheffield coming out on top against the multiple Tour de France stage winner.
The leading group of a dozen riders came back together in the closing 10km after an attack including Team Sky's Alex Peters was reeled in by a group that included team-mate Andy Fenn and Cavendish among others.
Peters continued to attack after the groups merged, as did impressive youngster Tao Geoghegan Hart (Axeon-Hagens Berman), but the pace in the leading group was so high a sprint finish became inevitable.
Cavendish nosed to the front with less than 250m to ride and appeared to be on his way to victory, but Blythe found a second kick and eventually prevailed by nearly a bike length.
Fenn finished third ahead of Mark McNally (Wanty-Groupe Gobert) and Scott Thwaites (Bora-Argon 18).
Blythe said: "I wanted that one. I was all day thinking about it, always trying to be in the right move. With a couple of laps to go I thought we might hold off the chasers but it came back together. Luckily I got round Cav (in the sprint)."
Geoghegan Hart's reward for finishing in the leading pack was the U23 title, which he won ahead of Christopher Lawless (JLT-Condor).
There was a victory for Team Sky in the Irish road race championship, where Nicolas Roche followed up his victory in Saturday's time-trial to claim a double.
Roche, winning his national crown for the second time, broke away from a small leading group in the closing stages in Kilcullen and won by more than 30 seconds from Matt Brammeier.
