:00:39. > :00:43.Welcome back to Glasgow and day eight of the Commonwealth Games.
:00:44. > :00:50.England lead the way at the top of the medal table with 107 medals.
:00:51. > :00:59.Big match-ups all over Glasgow today.
:01:00. > :01:01.Huge at the women's doubles squash where
:01:02. > :01:08.Will it be a happy ending for Scotland's David Millar
:01:09. > :01:17.Will Geraint Thomas of Wales be able to challenge the Scot?
:01:18. > :01:20.And, at the Hydro, the artistic gymnastics continue.
:01:21. > :01:24.Max Whitlock, England's golden boy, and one of the faces of these Games,
:01:25. > :01:44.is going for his third Glasgow gold in the final of the men's floor.
:01:45. > :01:55.Lots of squash action available on the Red Button.
:01:56. > :01:58.And Australia against Scotland is life on our website.
:01:59. > :02:00.Follow all the action on our website, bbc.co.uk/glasgow2014,
:02:01. > :02:10.And that's not the only way you can keep in touch with the action.
:02:11. > :02:20.If you are out and about, fear not, we have the perfect to stay stay
:02:21. > :02:26.up-to-date with everything. You can keep across all the headlines on our
:02:27. > :02:32.BBC Sport app. You can join in the chat and even watch up to 15 sports
:02:33. > :02:36.or skip about to the best bits. You can plan your day using our
:02:37. > :02:42.schedule. And have a look at this. You can get
:02:43. > :02:47.an alert every time a medal is one. If you are on your way to work, or
:02:48. > :02:52.enjoying the sun, you don't have too miss a thing.
:02:53. > :02:59.Let us get the latest headlines. Silver again for England's Emma
:03:00. > :03:02.Pooley in the women's time trial, Pooley finished second at
:03:03. > :03:08.the 2008 Olympics, and it was second again today, with New Zealand's
:03:09. > :03:13.Linda Villumsen snatching gold. Drama at Kelvingrove,
:03:14. > :03:16.in the lawn bowls, as England's open triples B6/B7/B8
:03:17. > :03:21.team snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, coming from behind to
:03:22. > :03:24.beat Scotland in an extra end and, With English diver Jack Laugher,
:03:25. > :03:37.who took 1m gold, just, yesterday. Through today to the final
:03:38. > :03:39.of the 3m springboard, after winning his heat inside the Royal
:03:40. > :03:41.Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh. contain home nations interest. The
:03:42. > :04:07.most eye-catching? At 55 kilos, First, we take you to the Emirates
:04:08. > :04:14.Arena for a fantastic badminton match between Sarah Walker and
:04:15. > :04:16.Elizabeth Cann. A fantastic last 16 match, going right down to the wire.
:04:17. > :04:39.This is the third game. Was there indecision that, I wonder?
:04:40. > :04:50.Must be. She got in position well. It must have been indecision what
:04:51. > :04:58.shocked she would play. -- shot. Goodness, that was quick. Very
:04:59. > :05:04.unusual for Elizabeth Cann. After that backhand, I thought to myself,
:05:05. > :05:06.she will pressure rise at the net. But that is very unusual. Very good
:05:07. > :05:18.play. The England bench, a little bit
:05:19. > :05:39.concerned right now. Oh, my goodness. Well, sadly, that
:05:40. > :05:47.is the sort of shot that can destroy confidence. That goes down as a
:05:48. > :05:58.sitter, doesn't it? I make that nine of the last 11
:05:59. > :06:16.points. That is where Elizabeth Cann has two
:06:17. > :06:22.watch out. That was a good corner for Sarah Walker, she is play that
:06:23. > :06:28.corner really well. A little battle at the net. Opposite
:06:29. > :06:43.sides both to the backhand. That is better. Just go safe, on the
:06:44. > :06:52.body, varying all the time, eventually the chances come. You
:06:53. > :06:59.have been pointing out, when you use that body smash, the line is
:07:00. > :07:03.straight. I have not seen anyone who is able to play anything else but
:07:04. > :07:09.straight. All credit here to the number seven
:07:10. > :07:10.seed from England. Totally. I thought she was beginning to lose
:07:11. > :07:26.it. Those two hideous misses, one at the
:07:27. > :07:28.net, and every turn into the net. Plus if you are out on the base
:07:29. > :08:10.line. -- a few. Good play to the forehand. A good
:08:11. > :08:19.choice here. With a smash by Sarah Walker.
:08:20. > :08:28.5-9 down, and now 10-10, that is a great comeback.
:08:29. > :08:34.Indecision! Decided to play it in the end, Elizabeth Cann, and all she
:08:35. > :08:41.could do was play a simple, rather loose shot, back to the net. And
:08:42. > :08:48.Sarah Walker took advantage. It is the number seven seed, Walker from
:08:49. > :08:55.England, with the narrowest of possible advantages, at the change
:08:56. > :09:02.of ends, in game number three. 45 minutes, this women's singles has
:09:03. > :09:03.been in progress. It has been a delightful match to watch all the
:09:04. > :09:27.way through. That was the good list. Hesitation.
:09:28. > :09:53.An easy opportunity for Walker to put it away.
:09:54. > :10:01.What I was trying to say is that Sarah Walker is now playing against
:10:02. > :10:07.the drift that should be to her advantage, she should keep it in on
:10:08. > :10:11.the base line. It is important not only for Walker and Cann to get a
:10:12. > :10:18.good start in the third game. How close it is.
:10:19. > :10:25.You have told me in the past that when you change ends in the third
:10:26. > :10:33.game, you say to yourself, right, and must win three of the next four
:10:34. > :10:37.rallies, get the advantage. It doesn't mean if you don't do it you
:10:38. > :10:44.lose the match, but it gives you the upper hand.
:10:45. > :10:49.To focus on that, trying to achieve that.
:10:50. > :10:51.To have a smaller gold within the bigger one. Great journeys start
:10:52. > :11:23.with the first step. Oh, it is just wide. Couldn't have
:11:24. > :11:28.missed by much. It is so flat, Pek Cowan can't
:11:29. > :11:30.really get around. She has got to play a backhand on that shot. Lucky
:11:31. > :12:37.for her it is going out. Opened up a 3-point cushion now,
:12:38. > :12:38.Sarah Walker. But look at that, Cann is still skipping about. Showing
:12:39. > :13:20.that she is ready. Missed it. Well... We have learned
:13:21. > :13:24.our lesson early on in this Commonwealth Games not to predict.
:13:25. > :13:31.But, under normal circumstances, I would say a 5-point cushion at this
:13:32. > :13:38.stage... Should be sufficient. It would be a very good sign. We have
:13:39. > :13:43.seen so many shifts in momentum which surely, now, a 6-point
:13:44. > :13:48.advantage, and just three more points needed for Sarah Walker.
:13:49. > :13:59.Needed to secure victory, and a place in the quarterfinals.
:14:00. > :14:13.Sarah Walker has won 13 of the last 17 points.
:14:14. > :15:27.A couple more points from Elizabeth Cann, and will be nervous start to
:15:28. > :15:37.play a huge part in this? She has missed it! I cannot believe that.
:15:38. > :15:41.Can you believe that? I cannot believe it. Anywhere in court would
:15:42. > :15:52.have been an outright winner. If she ends up losing this match...
:15:53. > :16:20.She will have nightmares about that. It has gone long! We said a couple
:16:21. > :16:29.of points and nerves could play a part. Now, it is a question of who
:16:30. > :16:43.can control those nerves. Yes, who dares wins. Yes. From 13-19 adrift.
:16:44. > :16:58.That is a beauty. It is a good shot. It can courage. One of the shots she
:16:59. > :17:01.has made quite a few mistakes on. She is almost landing before she is
:17:02. > :17:07.playing the shop. It is not good timing. But she got away with it.
:17:08. > :17:22.Match point opportunities, three of them.
:17:23. > :17:59.She has done it. Joy, elation, and, I should think, relief as well. For
:18:00. > :18:16.the number seven seed, Sarah Walker of England. She had to battle so
:18:17. > :18:25.hard for that victory. 21-14, 17-21, 21-18 in the deciding game. 54
:18:26. > :18:30.minutes. What a thrilling match. My goodness me. Sarah Walker safely
:18:31. > :18:37.through to the quarterfinals, where she will play either the number
:18:38. > :18:45.three seed, from Canada, or the young sensation from Singapore.
:18:46. > :18:50.Congratulations to Sarah Walker, beating Elizabeth Cann. Elizabeth
:18:51. > :18:59.Cann also competed for Jersey in 1998, 2002 and 2006, but she played
:19:00. > :19:03.for England in 2010, when she won the bronze, but in January she
:19:04. > :19:09.announced she was switching back to play for her home island. But Sarah
:19:10. > :19:15.Walker is through, a fantastic performance.
:19:16. > :19:19.A marathon match, and finally through to the quarterfinals, you
:19:20. > :19:23.must be delighted. I knew the match would be tough, I have trained with
:19:24. > :19:27.her before, I have played her a few times this year. They are always
:19:28. > :19:35.tough matches, so I am glad I came through. Is it difficult to place
:19:36. > :19:38.under the food you know very well? She is such an experienced player,
:19:39. > :19:44.she has been at the top of her game for so many years. Very difficult,
:19:45. > :19:48.she knows the tricks. It is about sticking to your game plan, no
:19:49. > :19:55.matter what is going on. He won the first game to 14 and in the second,
:19:56. > :20:02.Liz got back into it. A couple of service faults were called, what did
:20:03. > :20:06.you have to do to get back in? In the first set, I was literally
:20:07. > :20:11.flying. I was really quick, then I lost a bit of pace. The tactics
:20:12. > :20:16.changed a bit, I had to grind it out a bit more and the deep. That was
:20:17. > :20:22.the transition. What about the crowd? They were making a lot of
:20:23. > :20:27.noise for you. The crowds are amazing, they have been every day. I
:20:28. > :20:33.cannot fault any of the support, it has been amazing. Enjoy the
:20:34. > :20:36.quarterfinals, congratulations. Many congratulations to Sarah
:20:37. > :20:41.Walker, she is through to the quarterfinals, and she will be
:20:42. > :20:47.joined by Kirsty Gilmore, who saw off her opponent from Mauritius. She
:20:48. > :20:51.is the leading home nations hope for a medal. She entered the world top
:20:52. > :20:56.20 for the first time this year, winning the Spanish open. She is
:20:57. > :21:03.appearing at her second Commonwealth Games. Fantastic for the home crowd.
:21:04. > :21:06.She has also been speaking to us. You must be very pleased with that
:21:07. > :21:11.victory, it looked fairly comfortable. It was fairly
:21:12. > :21:16.comfortable. Done and dusted and into the quarterfinals, the business
:21:17. > :21:20.end of the tournament. It gets a bit tougher from here. You must be
:21:21. > :21:25.pleased with the way you have been playing so far. Definitely, I had a
:21:26. > :21:30.blip in the team event, I was disappointed about that, but I am
:21:31. > :21:35.hoping to step it up. I have learned a lot from it. It is a steep
:21:36. > :21:40.learning curve. I will definitely learn from that mistake. You are
:21:41. > :21:43.seeded second in the competition, the highest of all of the home
:21:44. > :21:49.nations players, does that add to the pressure? Or do you take it in
:21:50. > :21:53.your stride? A bit of both, if that is allowed! There is a huge amount
:21:54. > :22:00.of pressure, which is a turnaround from when I was in Delhi. I was just
:22:01. > :22:03.there for the banter. But now I am supposed to be one of the more
:22:04. > :22:07.experienced players. It will be tough to use that, but I am looking
:22:08. > :22:13.forward to getting stuck into some good matches. It is quite difficult,
:22:14. > :22:17.going through the early stages, because you are expected to
:22:18. > :22:22.progress, but slip-ups can happen. Going forward, you must be pleased.
:22:23. > :22:26.Definitely. Every time I am on court, trying to work on a few
:22:27. > :22:32.little things. It is different from the training call, with the cloud,
:22:33. > :22:39.and the conditions. Looking to use the knowledge I have gained and put
:22:40. > :22:44.it to good use in the later rounds. Congratulations to Kirsty Gilmore, a
:22:45. > :22:49.terrific performance today. The Badminton quarterfinals tomorrow.
:22:50. > :22:53.I want to point you in the direction of BBC Three, live coverage of the
:22:54. > :23:01.men's time trial. All eyes on David Mellor. He is the last to go, at
:23:02. > :23:08.around 2:28pm. We will bring it to you live in about ten minutes.
:23:09. > :23:14.If you want it now, it is available on BBC Three.
:23:15. > :23:18.The are going to turn our attention to the wonderful squash being played
:23:19. > :23:25.right now. We have already seen some brilliant table tennis at this venue
:23:26. > :23:30.already, it is also hosting to sports. It is about the women's
:23:31. > :23:58.doubles Squash quarterfinals. This is the line-up.
:23:59. > :24:19.We are going to concentrate on the England against Australia clash.
:24:20. > :24:22.The first seeds, the English, against the seventh seeds, the
:24:23. > :24:53.Australians. Not as many strokes in doubles as in
:24:54. > :24:59.singles. The emphasis is on playing the ball. And being creative down
:25:00. > :25:01.the middle of the court if possible. The referee does not want to stop
:25:02. > :25:46.that. A nice forehand volley from Lisa
:25:47. > :26:07.Camilleri. A beautiful shot from Donna
:26:08. > :26:13.Urquhart. That was good communication between the teams, it
:26:14. > :26:20.is good. You are allowed to shout at your partner, it is OK.
:26:21. > :26:28.Even though Laura Massaro and Jenny Duncalf were silver medallists in
:26:29. > :26:38.Delhi and another one seeds, the Australian pair the number seven
:26:39. > :26:39.seed, both of these teams will fancy their chances of getting through to
:26:40. > :26:55.the semifinals. That was nice play from Jenny
:26:56. > :27:01.Duncalf. Setting up the winning shot, a nice angle down the middle
:27:02. > :27:41.of the court. A great shot in doubles.
:27:42. > :27:51.Again, the attacking shot down the middle of the court wins the point.
:27:52. > :28:20.The Australian team have the slight advantage.
:28:21. > :28:25.They are going point by point in this first game, no team really
:28:26. > :28:33.establishing technical dominance yet.
:28:34. > :28:45.But a beautiful backhand volley from Laura Massaro. A nice angle from
:28:46. > :28:53.Lisa Camilleri, but Laura Massaro was too strong.
:28:54. > :29:06.Jenny Duncalf has a great feel for the game. Really noticing the space
:29:07. > :29:11.in the beloved court. Laura Massaro and Jenny Duncalf swapped sides. It
:29:12. > :29:13.shows great confidence, if you are able to swap sides in the middle of
:29:14. > :29:39.a rally. Minor interference, they play a
:29:40. > :30:00.lead. That means they play the point again.
:30:01. > :30:07.Jenny Duncalf just had enough delay in the shot to slow down her
:30:08. > :31:01.opponent's movement. Then, punched in the drop shot.
:31:02. > :31:11.The English team is doing a great job of really pushing up the court,
:31:12. > :31:12.difficult to read the play when you are behind your opponents or of the
:31:13. > :31:36.time. -- all. In singles, that would be a stroke.
:31:37. > :31:38.But in doubles, that is a let. Not a devastating injury but that will
:31:39. > :32:05.sting for a while. The first time Donna Urquart has got
:32:06. > :32:09.involved in this match. She is a big lefty and she wants to use that
:32:10. > :32:35.forehand and generate a lot of power.
:32:36. > :32:43.And again, Jenny Duncalf, just seeing the space. And heading into
:32:44. > :32:45.it, that is what is important in the doubles, it is about playing into
:32:46. > :33:04.the space which she does so well. Game ball 10-6 first game.
:33:05. > :33:14.No doubt what the referee thought about that. That ball landed out. As
:33:15. > :33:26.the English pair take the first game. Relatively comfortably.
:33:27. > :33:31.They sealed the win, winning 11-4. A great performance, a match which
:33:32. > :33:36.lasted just 80 minutes. The 2010 silver medallists are through to the
:33:37. > :33:43.quarterfinals which starts tomorrow. Massaro has already won a silver in
:33:44. > :33:44.the women's singles. Well done to Jenny Duncalf and Laura Massaro.
:33:45. > :33:59.It's terrific performance. It is the men's time trial, David
:34:00. > :34:03.Millar is the defending champion. Let us take you live to Jonathan
:34:04. > :34:10.Edwards. Good afternoon, coming to the sharp
:34:11. > :34:15.end of this men's time trial. Geraint Thomas cycled past
:34:16. > :34:19.resplendent in his Welsh kit. Has he recovered? We need to temper
:34:20. > :34:24.expectation around David Millar, he says his best chance of a medal
:34:25. > :34:33.probably comes in the men's road race which is on Sunday. Money seems
:34:34. > :34:39.to be on two dedicated athletes, Alex Dowsett is one of them.
:34:40. > :34:45.This is what faces the riders, 40 kilometres. Not the kind of course
:34:46. > :34:51.where you can stick your head down, it twists, it turns, lots of
:34:52. > :35:03.technical elements. Hardly a flat bit on the course. There has been an
:35:04. > :35:09.issue with the wet weather. At the moment the weather is dry. It should
:35:10. > :35:15.be an outstanding connotation. As I said, the scene is set. Chris
:35:16. > :35:16.Boardman and Simon Brotherton are standing by. Good afternoon, I bet
:35:17. > :35:32.you are excited. Luke Rowe setting the fastest time.
:35:33. > :35:40.Racing for Wales. Making a very good start. 12 seconds faster than the
:35:41. > :35:47.next greatest -- quickest. Next is the bond medallist in ageing
:35:48. > :35:55.and in London. -- bronze medallist in Beijing. He rides predominately
:35:56. > :36:11.on the road these days. This year, most recently, he has been informed,
:36:12. > :36:18.Chris, -- he has been in form. He would prefer this to be and
:36:19. > :36:25.elating. This race can be broken down into three chunks. It steps
:36:26. > :36:32.up. When they get through that six K check point, and undulating middle
:36:33. > :36:36.section. And a downhill to come back into town.
:36:37. > :36:41.The defending champion, David Millar. And Alex Dowsett, silver
:36:42. > :36:49.medallist in Delhi. We don't know what kind of form they
:36:50. > :36:53.have got. An interesting character, Andrew
:36:54. > :36:58.Roach, competing in his seventh consecutive, Web games. He is 42 and
:36:59. > :37:07.hasn't missed an individual time trial since making his debut back in
:37:08. > :37:11.1990. Encouraged to continue after competing in Delhi, by Mark
:37:12. > :37:15.Cavendish. The Commonwealth Games is important if you are from the Isle
:37:16. > :37:20.of Man, the highest level of concession you can compete on with
:37:21. > :37:25.an Isle of Man sweater on your back. Svein Tuft, in a tucked position,
:37:26. > :37:30.making the most of this short, flat section, before the first time
:37:31. > :37:36.check. I will be interested in how he copes
:37:37. > :37:41.with this course. He mentioned how he has good road miles in his legs.
:37:42. > :37:49.He is a silver medallist in the World Championships. How will he
:37:50. > :37:59.fare on this course? Zach Bell, prominent on the track.
:38:00. > :38:05.Only five riders to go. Mark Christian has now set the fastest
:38:06. > :38:11.time, displacing Luke Rowe. Steve Cummings should be next
:38:12. > :38:18.through. He has just gone through that check, a full 11 seconds,
:38:19. > :38:25.slightly lagging. Cummings is doing a massive ride. A full 11 seconds
:38:26. > :38:30.ahead. As Chris predicted, Cummings going
:38:31. > :38:36.through, 11 seconds. You don't know who will win? I could
:38:37. > :38:52.tell you but I would have to kill you at! -- you!
:38:53. > :38:57.Another Olympic silver medallist. He has had a lot of near misses in time
:38:58. > :39:10.trial, he could be a factor, Rohan Dennis. He has finished second
:39:11. > :39:13.against the watch in California, and Switzerland.
:39:14. > :39:20.None of the riders here have been better than Denis this season. He is
:39:21. > :39:23.the man to beat today. David Millar desperately wants this as his
:39:24. > :39:32.swansong but he will have his work cut out to be the Australian. Tuft
:39:33. > :39:36.has set the fastest time. The road turns uphill.
:39:37. > :39:42.David Millar and Alex Dowsett continue to wait their turn.
:39:43. > :39:47.That is the hardest bit of the day. You know there is no chance of it
:39:48. > :39:52.being other than the most horrible thing you have experienced but you
:39:53. > :39:57.have to wait. A very experienced athlete.
:39:58. > :40:03.Michael Hutchinson, spends much of his time as a writer about cycling
:40:04. > :40:10.these days. Fourth in Delhi four years ago. Fourth in Melbourne for
:40:11. > :40:19.years before that. -- four.
:40:20. > :40:22.Hepburn is if you seconds adrift. The National Champion of Australia
:40:23. > :40:30.but not the swiftest of starts, as he makes that left-hand turn into
:40:31. > :40:37.Royston Road. And soon into more exposed road, heading up to the
:40:38. > :40:47.highest section. Joining Geraint Thomas, the next
:40:48. > :40:52.person due at the check point. I think he is one of the top two guide
:40:53. > :40:59.today. Luke Durbridge is on his way. He was
:41:00. > :41:03.19 in the final time trial just before the race got to Paris. I
:41:04. > :41:06.thought he was the pick of the Australians.
:41:07. > :41:12.The gossip around here seems to be at the moment it is not him on form,
:41:13. > :41:16.it is Rowe Ham Dennis who is on form.
:41:17. > :41:23.Here comes Geraint Thomas towards the first time check point. It will
:41:24. > :41:32.be a close run thing. He has set the fastest time, 6.5 seconds faster.
:41:33. > :41:39.The fastest so far. This is the uphill section of this course. It
:41:40. > :41:43.looked as if he was very relaxed and in control. Thomas, setting the mark
:41:44. > :41:54.for everyone to beat. Silver medallist in Delhi four years
:41:55. > :41:58.ago. Dowsett, in multiple national champion against the watch. Out on
:41:59. > :42:04.the road. Having had his season disrupted by injury in Switzerland.
:42:05. > :42:13.He was very disappointed not to make the team. It effectively caught him
:42:14. > :42:17.-- cost him his place in France. You can see in the set of the
:42:18. > :42:22.bodies, they are really focused and concentrated, they want this today.
:42:23. > :42:27.There is no clear favourite today. A group of people.
:42:28. > :42:32.Now, David Millar, who will retire at the end of this season. He wants
:42:33. > :42:37.to go out in a blaze of glory. He wasn't given the chance to do so in
:42:38. > :42:42.the Tour de France, left out at the last moment by his team. Can he win
:42:43. > :42:50.in front of his home crowd in Glasgow. World champion silver
:42:51. > :42:58.medallist -- World Championships silver medallist.
:42:59. > :43:03.David Millar sets off. Certainly the fastest start. He desperately wants
:43:04. > :43:08.this, nobody wants this more than David Millar. His last major event.
:43:09. > :43:13.He will give it everything here. He was really stunned to be left out of
:43:14. > :43:16.the Tour de France team. He certainly was. He gave a little
:43:17. > :43:23.bit of commentary on the Tour de France which exacerbated the
:43:24. > :43:26.sensation of disappointed. He has dedicated himself to this
:43:27. > :43:36.Commonwealth Games. It is great to know of the riders are now out on
:43:37. > :43:45.the road or have finished. You can see the radio box which
:43:46. > :43:51.means he gets time checks on all the opposition come he will know exactly
:43:52. > :43:54.what he has to do. Sergent will be cutting close to
:43:55. > :43:59.Thomas. Just inside it, the way he is
:44:00. > :44:05.riding. By just over 3.5 seconds. Leading the way now. I clock up
:44:06. > :44:13.thinking he might have gone out a little bit fast. -- I can't help
:44:14. > :44:19.thinking. That will not bode well later on.
:44:20. > :44:26.This course changes as the race wears on. The first section is a
:44:27. > :44:32.gentle drag. Then it becomes a little more technical and constantly
:44:33. > :44:36.changing. You can't settle into a rhythm. There have been noticeable
:44:37. > :44:43.differences in the way riders have ridden compared to each other. At
:44:44. > :44:45.6.4 kilometres, this is not necessarily the way it will look at
:44:46. > :45:01.ten kilometres. first time check. 38.4 kilometres,
:45:02. > :45:10.overall. The leader in the clubhouse is from Rwanda. He has a lead of
:45:11. > :45:11.nearly two minutes, but things will change when these riders start to
:45:12. > :45:27.come towards the end. Mark Christian went through the
:45:28. > :45:34.first cheque in sixth place, he pipped Luke Rowe, but Luke Rowe has
:45:35. > :45:38.gone ahead of Mark Christian. That goes with what you were saying, fast
:45:39. > :45:43.starts are not necessarily the way to go. I thought the composed pace
:45:44. > :45:51.of Geraint Thomas was what we should be seeing. It is mostly a tailwind
:45:52. > :45:55.at the moment, but conditions are much more favourable than they were
:45:56. > :46:02.earlier on, though the wind has got up. It is quite strong now. All they
:46:03. > :46:05.can hope for is it remains consistent for all of the
:46:06. > :46:13.competitors. There are still some patches of white, but it is very
:46:14. > :46:18.warm, well into the 20s. Luke Durbridge, the former world champion
:46:19. > :46:23.at under 23 level in this event, so he could be a factor, although
:46:24. > :46:27.perhaps form does not necessarily make him the favourite among the
:46:28. > :46:31.Australian riders. A really strong contingent from Australia, as ever.
:46:32. > :46:37.The Canadian will not challenge at all. I am not sure we expected him
:46:38. > :46:47.to, but he is a strong ride on his day. He is an awful long way behind.
:46:48. > :46:50.He rode three of the track events, his best was fourth place in the
:46:51. > :46:57.team pursuit. Maybe his focus was much more towards the boards. Svein
:46:58. > :47:02.Tuft looks good, taking advantage of one of the few straight parts.
:47:03. > :47:11.Roehampton is is coming through, he is well down. That is something of a
:47:12. > :47:22.surprise. A bit off the pace. Geraint Thomas just over three
:47:23. > :47:25.seconds back. Here is Alex Dowsett. Coming up to 50 calamities are now
:47:26. > :47:30.on some of the flatter sections. It is hard to tell whether he is going
:47:31. > :47:37.or not, because he has such a smooth and fluid style. It is a sign of
:47:38. > :47:41.efficiency, all of the muscles of working in the right proportion, so
:47:42. > :47:45.all of the effort goes into driving force through the pedals. When you
:47:46. > :47:53.see somebody swaying from side to side, all of that is lost energy. A
:47:54. > :47:58.nice style, good cadence, not panicking, he knows there is a lot
:47:59. > :48:05.of work still to do. He has chosen not to take a bottle. He is stripped
:48:06. > :48:12.down to the minimum. He is just under two minutes away from the
:48:13. > :48:16.first time check. That will start to give us some idea of where the
:48:17. > :48:20.riders are, but the first time check is not necessarily a guide, because
:48:21. > :48:26.of the differing nature of the first part of the course. It would. The
:48:27. > :48:31.group. We are expecting Michael Hutchinson next, we are not
:48:32. > :48:35.expecting much from him, but Luke Durbridge will be there or
:48:36. > :48:46.thereabouts. You do not get much better than David Mellor. He always
:48:47. > :48:51.looks the part. He is relaxed, riding fluidly, he will not overcook
:48:52. > :48:56.it, he has already ridden because several times. Michael Hutchinson
:48:57. > :49:06.going through. And Luke Durbridge is right behind him.
:49:07. > :49:13.He is two seconds clear, nearly, of Geraint Thomas, but the first five
:49:14. > :49:19.or six riders are all in the hunt, within ten seconds of each other.
:49:20. > :49:25.Michael Hutchinson, 15th fastest so far through the first time check, 56
:49:26. > :49:29.seconds down on Jesse Sargent. He was nearly caught by Luke Durbridge.
:49:30. > :49:35.Alex Dowsett will be the next one through, and then only the defending
:49:36. > :49:40.champion, David Millar. He looks strong, he is deceptively quick at
:49:41. > :49:44.the moment. I think he will be challenging for the top spot. He is
:49:45. > :49:51.churning it out. There is something about that but says powerful. We
:49:52. > :49:57.will see a fast time. You are liking the look of this ride from Alex
:49:58. > :50:00.Dowsett. That is why. He is the fastest, with only David Millar to
:50:01. > :50:08.go through. He do go shared the left-hand turn, it is really sharp.
:50:09. > :50:12.The speeds will change by two or three kilometres, just because they
:50:13. > :50:17.have dry surfaces with so many turns. This is the highest part of
:50:18. > :50:23.because, before he gets a breather on the downhill straight. David
:50:24. > :50:29.Millar, the last person to go through. He does not look quite as
:50:30. > :50:35.composed as Alex Dowsett. A beautiful style, a nice pedalling
:50:36. > :50:40.style. I am not sure he is going as fast as Alex Dowsett. But he always
:50:41. > :50:46.looks the part, you have to ask him afterwards how it was, because you
:50:47. > :50:54.cannot see in his style. When you used to ride a race like this, did
:50:55. > :50:58.you know very quickly from when you went off whether it was going to be
:50:59. > :51:02.a day when you were going to be flying over there it was going to be
:51:03. > :51:07.a struggle? Let's park that one for a moment, because we have David
:51:08. > :51:12.Millar coming through, and it is not looking good after all. He is
:51:13. > :51:13.considerably off the pace, this is a real surprise. We thought he would
:51:14. > :51:30.be closer. He will head up now, towards the
:51:31. > :51:34.park, and he rode out into the countryside. There is work to do for
:51:35. > :51:40.David Millar. Two kilometres an hour off the pace. That is an awful lot
:51:41. > :51:44.to make up. He had not been in the Tour de France, he has not raced for
:51:45. > :51:47.several weeks, it is tough to compete with the people who have
:51:48. > :51:54.been in the Tour de France, because they have had a huge amount of
:51:55. > :52:00.training and conditioning. This is the second of the four time checks.
:52:01. > :52:04.Svein Tuft is the fastest through. The only time check they have all
:52:05. > :52:13.been through is the first one, Alex Dowsett the quickest, Jesse Sargent
:52:14. > :52:17.second, then Luke Durbridge, Geraint Thomas, Reverend Dennis and Svein
:52:18. > :52:24.Tuft. Steve Cummings for England in seventh place. But that is very
:52:25. > :52:28.early on in the race. Only the first seven are really in the hunt, Steve
:52:29. > :52:35.Cummings being the cut-off point. 15 seconds is a lot to give away will
:52:36. > :52:42.stop -- giveaway. Svein Tuft showing signs of fatigue, digging in in this
:52:43. > :52:48.middle section. It could start to sort them out a bit, it could get
:52:49. > :52:54.tough for Svein Tuft. Jesse Sargent very strong in the early going. He
:52:55. > :53:10.had the stage wins in Austria in recent times.
:53:11. > :53:15.Geraint Thomas looks strong. It looks like a powerful choice, rather
:53:16. > :53:23.than labouring. He has decided to grind away and push it. Part of his
:53:24. > :53:26.preparation was in Devon last week, when he broke the course record in a
:53:27. > :53:38.local time trial. He just turned up. He added a bit of stardust to
:53:39. > :53:44.the local race. Geraint Thomas is fighting for this one, but he is up
:53:45. > :53:49.against a flying Alex Dowsett. Geraint Thomas working very hard. He
:53:50. > :53:54.is gaining ground on Svein Tuft. Seven seconds, Alex Dowsett had on
:53:55. > :54:00.Geraint Thomas, we will have to see what it is when Alex Dowsett comes
:54:01. > :54:05.through, but plenty of time for one of the other top seven to make their
:54:06. > :54:10.mark. Where was Luke Durbridge at the first time check? He has got a
:54:11. > :54:16.strong engine on him. He was in third place, so they are all in the
:54:17. > :54:20.hunt. We saw in the women's event, margins like this turnaround so
:54:21. > :54:28.quickly. Luke Durbridge along the road. His speed is evident. We will
:54:29. > :54:33.be close to 50 kilometres an hour for this event, despite the evolving
:54:34. > :54:39.nature of it. In certain weather conditions, that might be an
:54:40. > :54:44.unfriendly road, they are quite high up. Luckily, the weather has
:54:45. > :54:49.improved steadily today. It was wet for the women's race, won by Linda
:54:50. > :54:56.Villumsen, just fed of Emma Pooley. Katrin Garfoot won the bronze medal.
:54:57. > :55:02.The Australians up towards the front here today. Luke Durbridge in third
:55:03. > :55:09.place at the first time check. This is the leader, as far as we are
:55:10. > :55:12.aware, Alex Dowsett, from Essex. Really ploughing along. They are
:55:13. > :55:20.using the tailwind section of the course. Letting you know which way
:55:21. > :55:31.the wind is blowing. The headwind evens things out a bit. All of these
:55:32. > :55:33.top riders, they have gone for a fairly small front wheel, so they
:55:34. > :55:39.can keep control, rather than the deep ones. They have all opted for
:55:40. > :55:44.the disc wheel. It is not as windy as yesterday. We are back with Jesse
:55:45. > :55:53.Sargent, going strongly for New Zealand. He is the next one due
:55:54. > :56:00.through, I think, at the next check. Geraint Thomas, the leading rider
:56:01. > :56:04.through, 17.1 kilometres. 47 of the 60 riders have gone through. Brian
:56:05. > :56:10.Thomas the fastest, 22 seconds quicker than Svein Tuft. He is
:56:11. > :56:15.pulling away from the pack. Jesse Sargent is a surprise. He is a good
:56:16. > :56:21.rider, but this is seeing him at his best, I think. He has won medals at
:56:22. > :56:26.the World Championships and Olympic Games, but all of them on the track.
:56:27. > :56:32.Very much turning his attention to the road, since the London Olympics.
:56:33. > :56:37.He is riding aggressively. He is outside the time of Geraint Thomas,
:56:38. > :56:49.but it is not too far away. It is still in the ballpark. This is a
:56:50. > :56:55.38.4 kilometre route. You have got a four second turnaround, Geraint
:56:56. > :57:02.Thomas had been lagging behind him, but now he is in front. Both of them
:57:03. > :57:05.working very hard. It is amazing, for people who do not follow
:57:06. > :57:11.cycling, you would think that Geraint Thomas would be excessively
:57:12. > :57:15.tired and spent, but that is not necessarily the case
:57:16. > :57:19.physiologically. It is almost as if in the final week of the Tour de
:57:20. > :57:25.France, your body decides, and I going to repair properly or stop? He
:57:26. > :57:29.looked good in the last week. He has only had three full days of rest,
:57:30. > :57:34.but it is a psychological as anything. Once he gets the bit
:57:35. > :57:45.between his teeth, nothing. M. He knows he is in touch. He has put
:57:46. > :57:52.himself in a good position. Svein Tuft is overtaking the Guernsey
:57:53. > :57:58.rider, Aaron Bailey. These corners have got water running across them,
:57:59. > :58:00.that is so hazardous. It is a bit dodgy in parts, even though
:58:01. > :58:05.conditions are so much better than they were overruled this morning.
:58:06. > :58:12.Svein Tuft going strongly. We got a glimpse of David Millar, it was a
:58:13. > :58:16.surprise at the first time check, well off the pace. I do not know if
:58:17. > :58:21.he is getting time checks at the moment, but he has got to give it
:58:22. > :58:25.his all, his last major competition. He desperately would like to see a
:58:26. > :58:36.result, but he is way off the mark at the moment. Svein Tuft caught the
:58:37. > :58:42.rider from Jersey. Luke Durbridge, twice an Australian champion. We are
:58:43. > :58:49.waiting for Reverend Dennis to come through. Aerodynamics are so
:58:50. > :58:54.important, and riding at high speeds in this final section. You have to
:58:55. > :58:59.think about who needs a buffer before they come back into town.
:59:00. > :59:02.Geraint Thomas is one of those who needs to make the most of the middle
:59:03. > :59:12.section. He made the most of that car! Just pulling out at the last
:59:13. > :59:18.moment. He is on the back side of the circuit at the moment. We are
:59:19. > :59:24.getting reports that Reverend Dennis is making his charge in the middle
:59:25. > :59:30.section. We are expecting good things from him. Rohan Dennis has
:59:31. > :59:35.just gone through, 2038, the fastest, just a bit faster than
:59:36. > :59:40.Geraint Thomas. Three seconds in it, it is so close between them now.
:59:41. > :59:49.This is Rohan Dennis going through the time check.
:59:50. > :59:57.Rohan Dennis is the fastest on the road, just. He was flagged as the
:59:58. > :59:58.favourite of the Australians by the Australians, and he is living up to
:59:59. > :59:58.that, favourite of the Australians by the
:59:59. > :00:02.Australians, and he is living up but they will struggle to beat this man.
:00:03. > :00:08.Alex Dowsett is catching Michael Hutchinson. We are looking at the
:00:09. > :00:21.Canadian. He is not enjoying himself at all. He is having a tough ride.
:00:22. > :00:25.He does not look like a man who is enjoying his day out. He looks like
:00:26. > :00:38.a man who trained for the team pursuit and then found himself out
:00:39. > :00:39.on the road in the time trial. Luke Burbridge is still out there,
:00:40. > :00:54.powering along the road. I think anybody who is within five
:00:55. > :01:00.to ten seconds could still win this overall. The one who will benefit
:01:01. > :01:03.most, I would suspect would be Alex Dowsett. He will be the one who will
:01:04. > :01:12.have to defend through this middle section. So, a race which is full of
:01:13. > :01:16.ebbs and flows and constant undulations. Beautiful countryside
:01:17. > :01:21.there around Glasgow. I have written my bike around here fair bit. You
:01:22. > :01:26.can get out of town quickly to some beautiful lanes. Some of them are
:01:27. > :01:31.among the best serviced sections of the whole route. It is quite
:01:32. > :01:37.variable, the route, in terms of the road surface and some quite heavy
:01:38. > :01:50.services as well. The camera sticks with Luke Burbridge. He still looks
:01:51. > :02:01.composed, even from this distance. -- Durbridge. Looks like it will be
:02:02. > :02:05.between him and tuft at the moment. 24 seconds is an enormous margin
:02:06. > :02:14.between him and his countrymen, Dennis. Rohan Dennis leading the
:02:15. > :02:33.way, but we are waiting for Alex Dowsett.
:02:34. > :02:42.Alex Dowsett coping well with this section of the course. He is seeking
:02:43. > :02:58.out the smoothest part of the road. Our cameras do not pick up some of
:02:59. > :03:03.the lumps and bumps here. He has ridden the core several times and
:03:04. > :03:07.will have memorised the best route. Alex Dowsett was the only English
:03:08. > :03:13.man to get a medal in this event. It is only the fifth time this event
:03:14. > :03:22.has been held. It was introduced in 1998. Among the previous winners was
:03:23. > :03:27.Cadel Evans. We are just waiting for David Millar to come through now.
:03:28. > :03:36.Already, I suspect he is off the pace. That won will be in line for a
:03:37. > :03:40.medal. Tuft is that Muirhead now. This left hand turn will head
:03:41. > :03:47.towards the slip road which will take him on to the a 80 road. It is
:03:48. > :03:54.now mostly a downhill run into the city. Despite they're still being a
:03:55. > :04:01.good distance still to go, half the race left to run, I would say there
:04:02. > :04:05.are only four people, maybe five in the hunt here for medals. David
:04:06. > :04:09.Millar would desperately like one. Let's see how far off the pace
:04:10. > :04:16.years. Has he clawed back some time? I think the answer is no. He
:04:17. > :04:24.is in ninth place with 17 kilometres covered. It is turning into a really
:04:25. > :04:29.tough afternoon. Maybe he forced it in the training camp. It is not the
:04:30. > :04:32.pace we would expect from David Millar. He will be deeply
:04:33. > :04:38.disappointed but I think he is out of the hunt for a medal now. Here
:04:39. > :04:43.are the standings from the only part of the course where we can measure
:04:44. > :04:57.everybody against each other. Alex Dowsett leads the way.
:04:58. > :05:10.Jesse Sergent from New Zealand is not out of the running. I think it
:05:11. > :05:15.is Dennis, Dowsett who are in the hunt for a medal, possibly Tuft as
:05:16. > :05:19.well. Six riders in the hunt for medals here. I would say only three
:05:20. > :05:23.of them are looking to try and get gold. This is the guy in pole
:05:24. > :05:29.position at the moment, Alex Dowsett. He still looks beautifully
:05:30. > :05:34.poised on his machine. Here is Geraint Thomas. We have not seen him
:05:35. > :05:40.for a while. Little laboured through that middle section but looking a
:05:41. > :05:50.lot better now. He is ploughing on and he is 40 seconds up on Svein
:05:51. > :05:56.Tuft. He has an enormous margin over Tuft. Steve Cummings is a few
:05:57. > :06:07.seconds further back in third at the moment. He has gained quite a bit on
:06:08. > :06:10.tough. That was the section of the course where concentration is
:06:11. > :06:14.everything because the road keeps changing up and down. He has done a
:06:15. > :06:21.lot of training for this, Thomas, he knows how to ride this kind of time
:06:22. > :06:40.trial. We are back with Rohan Dennis for Australia.
:06:41. > :06:46.You need to downshift the years before you go into the corner and
:06:47. > :06:50.anticipate the exit. He was slightly caught out there and had to grind
:06:51. > :06:55.his way through the gears to get his way back up to speed. Just looking
:06:56. > :07:01.out of the window at the trees billowing in the wind, the flags
:07:02. > :07:05.fluttering as well. It seems windier the longer the day goes on. But as
:07:06. > :07:10.you can see, for the first time today, it is completely dry out on
:07:11. > :07:16.the course and no sign of any imminent rain. Jesse Sergent really
:07:17. > :07:20.driving there. He has been working very, very hard in the early part of
:07:21. > :07:25.this race and I can't help but think he might be paying the price. He
:07:26. > :07:30.might be one of the riders who slips out of the hunt here. He keeps
:07:31. > :07:33.putting his head down. That is generally a sign of fatigue. You
:07:34. > :07:39.start to lose form and force the right to happen, rather than let it
:07:40. > :07:56.flow. He is desperate to get a medal here. He is still just 26. He is
:07:57. > :08:02.outside of the time of Thomas now. And I would fair few seconds behind
:08:03. > :08:21.now. Definitely losing ground on Geraint Thomas here.
:08:22. > :08:29.The favourites are out on the course now. Half a minute down on Thomas
:08:30. > :08:34.now. He is out of the hunt for medals, or the gold medal at least,
:08:35. > :08:41.in my opinion. But he will fight all the way, that is the shore, as will
:08:42. > :08:45.this man, Geraint Thomas. He is vying with Alex Dowsett for the
:08:46. > :08:51.smallest number competition. Past the cheering crowds at the roadside
:08:52. > :08:56.here. It is the first time he's starting to show fatigue. The helmet
:08:57. > :09:08.he is using a specially shaped so he does not get as a disadvantage when
:09:09. > :09:11.he shapes -- his head. He reduces his aerodynamic shape even more.
:09:12. > :09:26.Nothing is left to chance these days. It is a very technical sport.
:09:27. > :09:31.Another rider still looking in good shape at the moment, working hard
:09:32. > :09:37.but going fast will stop I think he is a minute and a quarter away from
:09:38. > :09:44.it, something like that. He is the one who could really threaten Alex
:09:45. > :09:49.Dowsett. Here he is now. He is catching another rider out front. He
:09:50. > :09:59.is flying around the course, looking really good here. That is Luke
:10:00. > :10:04.Durbridge. That as a surprise, he has really folded. He started a
:10:05. > :10:08.minute in front of Dowsett. There are not many occasions when
:10:09. > :10:14.Durbridge gets caught at the top end of a course like this. You could see
:10:15. > :10:19.him riding up the slipstream there, taking every advantage. In a sense,
:10:20. > :10:27.it is a hard-won advantage. It is a reward to have a little moment in
:10:28. > :10:33.the slipstream to slingshot past. Here comes Rohan Dennis, heading up
:10:34. > :10:42.towards the third time check. It will be a good time, that is the
:10:43. > :10:52.shore. He is going really well here. We could see a new best time coming
:10:53. > :10:57.up. As predicted by the Australian camp, he is the one of their number
:10:58. > :11:02.to watch. He will be getting time checks, he will know how he is
:11:03. > :11:07.doing. This could gun terror a three horse race now between Dennis,
:11:08. > :11:12.Thomas and Alex Dowsett here. -- this could come down to a three
:11:13. > :11:19.horse race now. Great crowds in your head. We are with England's Alex
:11:20. > :11:31.Dowsett. The motorbikes getting a little bit close there. Alex Dowsett
:11:32. > :11:39.taking advantage. He just has not faulted in form at all. A great
:11:40. > :11:46.stylist on the bike. He has had success earlier this year. Here is
:11:47. > :11:48.Geraint Thomas for Wales. Driving hard now.
:11:49. > :11:52.Geraint Thomas for Wales. Driving hard He has a previous medal from
:11:53. > :11:58.the Commonwealth Games, a bronze medal from Melbourne in 2006. The 32
:11:59. > :12:21.K check for Thomas. He is coming through fastest. This is the one we
:12:22. > :12:31.are interested in. That is the third of the four time checks. You can see
:12:32. > :12:35.there is somebody movement starting to creep in. That is inevitable. You
:12:36. > :12:39.cannot ride the whole thing is smooth. It is about managing the
:12:40. > :12:46.fatigue and the breakdown of muscle fibres. It is not a steady-state
:12:47. > :12:48.efforts. It feels like it is increasing and increasing to go the
:12:49. > :12:51.same speed. That man has spent some increasing and increasing to go the
:12:52. > :13:00.same speed. That man time in a wind tunnel, keeping that form. -- that
:13:01. > :13:19.man has spent some time in a wind tunnel.
:13:20. > :13:23.of the race. It looks like Dowsett is starting to pay a bit for that
:13:24. > :13:28.early effort. I think he will be the fastest on the downhill run in but
:13:29. > :13:36.he needs to stay close to Dennis who is the danger man for him. Here we
:13:37. > :13:47.are with Alex Dowsett into Muirhead. It looks as if he will slip behind
:13:48. > :13:53.Rohan Dennis here. Dennis is in the box seat at the moment in the race
:13:54. > :13:58.for gold. That is a big turnaround. He had a seven second advantage in
:13:59. > :14:03.the last time check, now he is six seconds the other way. It does not
:14:04. > :14:12.bode well for Dowsett. I am surprised about that. Yes, Dennis is
:14:13. > :14:21.firing on all sinners. -- firing on all cylinders. The ride in fourth,
:14:22. > :14:25.Jesse Sergent of New Zealand, 38 seconds back.