He is quite possibly the best British cyclist currently and most certainly the favourite to victory today, Simon YATES has a strong team supporting him. Hugh CARTHY probably won't defend his title, but at least he will get to try and keep it within the team. The biggest challenger is probably Adam YATES, so the audience will be hoping for some brother-on-brother action. After Ethan HAYTER and George ATKINS spent the majority of the day controlling the pace, the broadcast begins as the favourites hit the final climb. There are a host of cycleYorkshire riders at the front but YATES is the one trapped in the centre. YATES, Thomas PIDCOCK, Joshua EDMONDSON are those on the left. The leading Zwift rider is Sean FLYNN.
An early launch, combined with the massive amounts of torque he is capable of putting through his legs, mean that Gabriel CULLAIGH is off to an early lead. It will be a big surprise if he is capable of making it all the way to the end, but for now he is giving the puncheurs a run for their money. PIDCOCK is currently leading the chase, with EDMONDSON hanging on to his outside. Behind them, the one YATES has drawn level with the other YATES.
It seems as though everybody is struggling to stay on the attack at this point. CULLAIGH has slowed down but then so has almost everybody else behind him. It is only almost everybody because his teammate, YATES, has already surpassed his brother and is now slicing his way between PIDCOCK and EDMONDSON.
In the end there simply isn't enough space on the isles for more than one rider capable of the feats that Simon YATES just managed. On that final climb he simply rode faster than anybody else for longer than anybody else, taking a convincing victory. So convincing that he felt confident celebrating several metres early. Thomas PIDCOCK is a young man with a bright future ahead of him, I have no doubt that we will see him wearing his national colours at some point even if he has to settle for second this time round. It is the other YATES who closes out the podium.
There are only two men that matter in this race: Ethan HAYTER and Tao GEOGHEGAN HART. They will be the final pair of starters, so it is James KNOX who spends most of the afternoon in the hotseat. His time of 1h05'54" is representative of the heavy headwind the riders are having to struggle through today.
The defending champion is up first and HAYTER quickly starts knocking the times down. He is already a full 42 seconds faster by the first time check. Things aren't sewn up though, as GEOGHEGAN HART is within milliseconds of matching him! It is all to play for here in Britain.
At the second time check, with 20 kilometres left to ride, HAYTER sets a time of 40'25". He is flying! Unfortunately, the breeze has begun to drop; though they are concurrently on the course right now, HAYTER started earlier and has spent more energy fighting the wind. Is it enough to make a difference? As he comes through the checkpoint it looks as though GEOGHEGAN HART has gained 3 seconds.
Just as the duelists reached the final few kilometres the wind began to pick back up; the weather swinging back into HAYTER's favour. He set a blistering pace of 1h03'24". Hearts were in mouths as GEOGHEGAN HART appeared to the spectators gathered at the finish. The clock was ticking: 1h03'14" ... 1h03'19" ... 21" ... 22" ... 23"! He didn't make it, it wasn't enough, time was up and GEOGHEGAN HART still had a chunk of road left. Having gained 3 seconds in favourable conditions, he subsequently lost 6, finishing with a time of 1h03'27". The road race might've ended in domination, but it is fine margins that are decisive in this evening's timetrial.
BRITISH ROAD RACE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP 
