National Road Championships: Wiggins and Pooley regain time trial crowns

Sir Bradley Wiggins and Emma Pooley will be racing against the clock over the next 12 months in the red, white and blue colours of British national time champions after regaining their titles in South Wales today. Each completes a hat-trick of victories in the event.

Both were convincing victors in their respective races, which saw the men tackle two laps of an undulating 21 kilometre circuit starting and finishing at the Celtic Manor resort near Newport and taking them through the Monmouthshire countryside.

Defending champion Alex Dowsett of Movistar, looking to win the title for the fourth year in a row, was the last man out on the course at 8pm, with rain getting heavier by the time he and his biggest rivals came towards the end of the 42 kilometre course.

Dowsett was only third fastest at the halfway point, however, posting a time of 27 minutes 32 seconds for the opening 21 kilometres.

That had been bettered shortly beforehand by his two former Team Sky colleagues, Thomas briefly holding the quickest time for the first circuit of 27 minutes 7 seconds but eclipsed by more than half a minute by Wiggins, winner in 2009 and 2010, who went through in a scorching 26 minutes 29 seconds.

In setting what was at the time the fastest mark for the opening lap, Thomas reeled in the man who had started two minutes ahead of him, another former winner of the title, Garmin-Sharp’s David Millar, riding the event for the final time. The Scot abandoned at the halfway point.

Wiggins proved quickest again on the second lap as he crossed the line in a time of 53 minutes 56 seconds, 1 minute 8 seconds faster than Thomas who finished second, with Dowsett completing the podium a further 13 seconds back.

Last of all, Wiggins arrives and is met by fans pic.twitter.com/o6NhrMltqF

— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) June 26, 2014

Earlier, Pooley regained the women’s time trial title, setting a time of 30 minutes and 18 seconds on the single lap of the 21 kilometre course. Second place went to Katie Archibald, while Dame Sarah Storey took third.

It’s the third time that Lotto-Belisol rider Pooley, a former world champion and Olympic silver medallist in the discipline, has won the national time trial championship, the previous occasions, like Wiggins, being in 2009 and 2010.

TT champ @PooleyEmma "It's really special because it's quite a while since I've won a race." http://t.co/PtbffZUaVX pic.twitter.com/4FjhaACMve

— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) June 26, 2014

Wiggle Honda got three women into the top six but missed out on a podium spot, with Elinor Barker of Wales fourth, Laura Trott fifth and defending champion Joanna Rowsell sixth.

Scott Davies of Madison-Genesis took the men’s under-23 title from Cardiff-born Owain Doull, who turned pro this year with An Post-Chain Reaction, and there was another podium spot for Lotto-Belisol as Dan McLay, who rides for the Belgian outfit’s development squad, finished third.