23/09/2012 Cycling

Hello and welcome to the Netherlands for the climax of the

world championships. We have seen some fine sights on road and track

since last year, but no weight of gold can eclipse what we sort of a

month ago. -- what we saw 12 months ago.

HUGH PORTER: Chris Froome, the man that is blowing a hole. It is

finely poised now, this contest. Bradley Wiggins is just putting the

pressure on. It is going to be a grand finale.

It is going to be a grand finale. Wiggins is blazing away.

We have got an attack on here. What an attack this is. This gap has got

to be closed. They have got to find the formula to close them down.

Wiggins still doing the towing. Also in there is Cavendish. Where

is Cavendish going to deliver the blow?

It is time for the sprinter's start. Who is going to be first to launch

the train? What a finish this is going to be.

Germany are setting something up. The Great Britain riders are on the

right hand side. Here we go. The full commitment.

Australia now beginning to get to the fund. Can Cavendish get

through? The line is getting nearer and nearer. Here he comes. Mark

Cavendish on the left is going to be the world champion. He has won

the world title for Great Britain! He time did to absolute perfection.

He time did to absolute perfection. -- he timed it.

Mark Cavendish is here to defend his jersey. He is part of a strong

team including the winner of last week's Tour of Britain, Jonathan

Tiernan-Locke. But we start with the elite women's race. We were not

see the Olympic silver medallist here but we have a former Olympic

and world champion in the British ranks.

With Lizzie on the team, it brings another dimension to the race. Yeah,

we have still got a strong seam, even though we are five riders. We

have seen other teams with seven or even eight riders. It is down to

last two rides Martley, but that is always part of road racing. -- to

write smartly. Emma Pooley is currently

considering her future in the sport. It would make more sense if our

races were run alongside men's races. It is not a huge amount of

extra effort for the race organiser, and I wish they would push that

more. There's a gender imbalance. Rather

than diving in and throwing money around, which is a short-term fix,

I am not sure yet if that is the right way to approach it. We need

to think about what we need to do now to contribute to a more

sustainable level of competition standard and structure within

women's cycling. Women need to pull together, but it

is for a common goal. It to be very exciting to be part of it. -- it

could be. One person you can imagine he will

be swept up by the home support is your great rival. She must be among

the favourites? Oh, yeah. You would put her at the top of nearly

everyone's list. She is very dominant this season. There is not

a type of terrain where she has got a weakness. She is also backed up

by a strong Dutch team. She has got everything to go for the win.

It must be very special to come back to the world championship.

Yeah, it always has that something special. The crowds, the course,

the history that goes with it. For me, it is also very special coming

back to this place itself. I won my first World Cup here. Very special

for me, riding around this course today.

We are at the foot at the start of the hill, and this is central to

these World Championship. It is. It is an iconic part of the

championships. It is 5.8 % climb, and it hits the offer sent, and as

we saw in the time trial, the crowds really come out. -- it hits

12%. It is an integral part of the world championship cycling here.

Anybody who has watched the Gold classic will no just a passionate

the crowd are, and what an influence they can have on the

cyclists. Here, especially, beer and cycling

go together. The riders, when they come up here, the crowd really do

get in. They will be able to smell the beer on their breath. It really

adds to the atmosphere. The crowds really are going to go

crazy. We are in a central part of cycling in Europe. It is easily

accessible for all the nations. Holland, Belgium, Germany... The

crowds are here already. The teams, there's hundreds of cyclists out,

the media, cars everywhere. It really is a busy, busy place.

I know we were tempted, but we decided to walk instead of cycle up

to here. Having seen some of the teams, it looks like hard work.

Just seeing those guys there, pushing on. Contador came through

in Leek ago and he was not finding it easy. This is one of the

steepest sections. This is a real good launch pad for any race

winning manoeuvre. In that goal classic, it is usually

on this part that the decisive attack comes.

It is always here. But let's not forget, it is not the last time

they go up. They have got 11 climbers here. All the way through

the race, we are going to have groups trying to cause damage. They

are trying to use the sprinters. -- to lose at the sprinters.

Men climb this hill 11 times, the women eight. There is another

significant climb, which comes in the back straight, as it were. In

total, the race is 129 kilometres. It was on the second climb that the

first significant incident happened. Around half of the peloton were

brought down or delayed by two riders colliding next to Nicole

Cooke. She squeezed through, but Cooke. She squeezed through, but

Emma Pooley and Katie Colclough were caught.

Five riders managed to break boy, prompted by Amber Neben. -- to

break out. Great Britain were a notable absentee.

HUGH PORTER: They get back to the line. Anybody who has designs on a

podium position is not wanting to be involved in the sprint. The

hard-working Nicole Cooke there. She was really labouring over the

bars. You can't tell if she is going well

of going bad. She tends to look like she is going bad.

Oh, here we go. Marianne Vaas is going. The world No. 1, the gold

medal winner is launching herself. The crowd are going ballistic. It

has put the peloton on the back for it. MI is chasing behind. -- the

can't let her go. Emma Pooley is having to find her

rhythm. There's no way she can react to that speed when she goes.

She doesn't drag anybody along. Look at this, she is up to the

group already. They are six away now. She wants to go to the front,

get on with it. Come on. This could be the key move. Her team-mate is

here as well. Look at this, trying to come across is the rider from

Italy. She has tried to get across, and she is going to make it. A good

finisher as well, she is. We have got seven riders moving away.

Her team-mate is going to bury herself. She has to make sure she

doesn't give it hole and die in five kilometres. She mascot go for

the -- she must not try to be a She should have gone earlier.

That goes to show. Sheer class. The group are being used to work. The

girl who has been sitting on, she will now be happy to bury herself.

Exactly. On the back there is the world

champion. Emma Pooley has got to get across this gap on her own. She

should have gone, in my opinion, as they got towards the peak of

decline. She would almost be better to look

behind her and wait for this group. The Netherlands have got another

rider in this group. She has got the Italian... Oh, we

can watch this now. She comes off Emma Pooley's wheel, got blocked,

and she could not regain the momentum.

The world No. 1 just turns the screw, and the way she goes. I tell

you what, she is saying, I am here, do you want to beat me? Can you

come with me? Coming out to the line, it is two to go this time.

Suddenly, the taper that was burning down has imploded. A brace

of orange jerseys on the front. Single-handedly, she has destroyed

the race, Marianne. Unbelievable. It is not convincing. Look at the

gap. The world champion is in this group.

Emma Pooley has got three riders who are not going to go with her.

That it becomes... Oh, here is another one behind her.

Less than two laps to go in this women's world road race, and as you

say, single-handedly, the formation has been rejigged. An astonishing

piece of riding there. In this front group, you will see

almost all these riders. They should just let the two Dutch

riders do the race on their own. I don't think the leader will want

to completely kill herself at this stage.

The two of them are on their own now. The rest of the girls are not

going to help them. Tactically, they are not as astute.

This is the rider that is trying to go clear of the peloton. She has

got a hard job on her hands, believe me. That is Pencoed the,

from Russia. Mission impossible, I would say.

It is a brave move. This is interesting. Everyone is riding.

You have got two Italians and two and Dutch. These four are going to

fully commit and the other girls are going to be used as markers.

We have seen just how hard Marianne frustrating for Emma Pooley.

This course does not lend itself to that. The Russian is making a fist

of this but she is never going to grab that group.

The time is going further back. Got to be over a minute, I would

know it is over a minute. That is the sign that the race is riding

away from you. -- the team car goal by. Interesting to see where Vos

will make her next move. You can always get wrapped up in a motion,

especially with 1:20, 1:22, going up exponentially. They have to put

someone up in front of the peloton now, just to stop it riding. The

time is haemorrhaging. No 27 for the leading group. 1:27. This is

amazing. Nobody has put somebody to ride at the front. It is just

disorganised. None of them are committed. Somebody has to

sacrifice themselves. They need a few from each individual team to

sacrifice themselves. Tour de five kilometres to go. Vos, must be,

well... These three girls, the German, the American, the Australia

-- the Australian, this is an ideal situation because they know that

two of these Corus are just going to exhaust themselves for their

team leaders. -- two of these girls. Nicole Cooke is at the front. But

she is not going fast enough. It is a horizontal line across the road,

because the pace is not high. plough along, inexorably. It is

going to the -- it is going to be the bell when they get to the line.

This is the leading group of seven will still look at the crowd.

Marianne Vos at the front. Her team-mate is shut down. She is

having a go. She does not want the company. Vos wants to live alone --

win alone. What a move. Vos has dismissed the rest. She is not even

interested. She is on a mission. Powering her way up the climb.

is just incredible. I would never have called that. It goes to show

just how strong she is. Although they are coming back. She could

counter. Success is getting what you want. I tell you what, Vos is

trying to blow the opposition away. This is also the risk. She is so

strong, let's hope she's not over- confident. They are the strongest,

and they are all in the medal positions. I think it is within

their compass to stay clear for the final lap. These three are a spent

force. I'm surprised that the American. I thought she would have

been with the leaders. Look at the damage. She wants to win a loan.

think she wanted to do a lap alone. A lap of honour. That is why you

have to be careful. She is so strong... Has she peaked too early?

Am worried. -- I am worried. Are the other two strong enough to keep

the support to Vos that she wants. That is the thing. She makes her

own bed in this situation. If she is that strong, why would they

follow? She is waiting for them. She could probably take them around

to the back of the circuit. She is going to wait for a team-mate now

she realises she cannot drop anybody. The Australian is having a

crack. Actually, she could have played the wrong tactic. That is

not what I would have done. Australian at the back. She is

spent, completely. She has done a fantastic job for her to make. --

for her team-mate. Vanda Bredon is doing really well. Rachel Nevin is

really strong, driving it at the front. Terrific racing. Look at the

crowd. The cacophony of applause is a ringing out, lifting up the

riders. One laps remaining, 16 kilometres. Marianne Vos has made

that massive attack but she has only lost to the German rider and

the Italian. The other Dutch girl is only 22. Her team-mate, in 4th,

lets the wheels go. Vos decides to put the boot in. There is a certain

amount of regrouping. We're looking at five riders from the original

seven trying to go away. Embrace of Dutch in the front grip. What a

wonderful tactic. It has worked like a dream. -- a brace of Dutch

in the front group. I would be worried for Marianne Vos because

she has wasted some bigger tax. -- Big attacks. Becker is blown

lap to go to decide the women's world road race championship. You

are looking at the leading group. Two from the Netherlands in the

script. That is the group of selection. Without any shadow of a

doubt. It will be hard to keep the peloton at bay. 22 seconds back for

the next rider. They have a long right now in no man's land.

face tells you everything. I think she could well be swept up by the

peloton. The leading group, five- strong, looking good. I think they

have all realise now that they need to help out. Although Marianne Vos,

you have to hope she is not doing too much. She was like this in

London. She has the bit between her teeth. When she was away with

Lizzie Armistead, she was piling it on. It is a different style of

riding to the men. You could not get away with that with the men.

get the feeling that Vos will try to take off. I stink she would like

to take her team-mate with her. -- I think she would like. She was in

the wrong position where -- when Vos was attacking. The two of them

just let him go, taking their work was done. She is going. She is a

workmanlike. -- she is so were alike. The Italian, nibbling away

at the advantage. They really have played a superb tactical game, the

Dutch team. There are days when it goes perfectly. The EU could have

the best tactical race out of all the teams but if you do not win the

race, it means nothing. I do not think the Australian is the right

rider to have in this group. They should have that if any Cromwell. -

- they should have had Tiffany Cromwell. The that was a very

similar finish to this. Neben Is a good rider and a former speed stage

rider. I think the main threat could come from the Italian, who

was actually third this year in the Grand Prix. It is game over for

what is left of the peloton. Ratto, Floating along in no man's land but

for how much longer? The residue of the peloton run-out trailing the

chief animators of the contest but they are not going to see this

group again. They have gone. Look at his grip, they have raised the

average speed of the race to 39.5, whereas the peloton had dropped to

38. It just goes to show how strong this could be his. In fact, they're

going faster now than they have the whole race. A STUDIO: And they

maintained their advantage on the early part of the final lap,

knowing that they would be fighting it out for the medals. Well and

truly in the comfort zone. Exactly. They are writing their own race.

There is no way they would it cost -- get caught, even if they crashed.

It is just a matter of who comes out of it the best when they lock

horns on the climb. The other riders will have to chance their

arm because they cannot go all the way to the line with Marianne Vos.

Out of the five, they know what is going to happen. Marianne Vos is

going to go hard. They have to hang on and hope that they can hang on.

Getting ready for the left-hander for the final time and the

concluding a sent to the crest. Listen to the cacophony of applause.

-- a cent. Her team-mate is giving it her all now. In her head, as

soon as she gets the bottom, she is going to pull off and her work is

done. The American, who is second, she is probably the weakest of the

remainder. She is just tired, I was safe. The Italian? She is the

biggest threat, the only girl that can stand a chance of going neck-

and-neck with Marianne Vos. I think it will be a race between the last

three in the grip. We will soon know if that speculation will be

confirmed because the climb is getting near. Remember, it is 1.2

kilometres of hill to the summit, and then 1.7 kilometres to the

finish. This is the left hander that will line them up for the run.

And the crowd are loving it. Here we go on the food slopes of the

climb. There is an attack on the other side. It is the Australian

having a goal. She is not afraid of reputation. Marianne Vos is tucked

in behind her wheel. The Italian is trying to go clear with the other

two. Rachel Nealon is digging deep. And the other Dutch competitor is

detached. V3 are starting to go clear. Exactly as we thought, the

Australian... Marianne Vos now launches a winning move there. She

has gone to the other side of the road. She wants to ride on the line

with her ceremonial victory. And look at this, the rest of the pack

are in bets. It is fragmented. They are all actually suffering

significant life. The this is incredible. I know how hard this

climate is, but just watching Marianne Vos go up there so fast,

it is phenomenal. I did not think she would be able to do that. She

has done that three times. She did it their lap after which she

attacked the break. She has wings on our wheels. The Olympic champion,

five times second in the world road championships and one time she has

been the gold medal winner. Look at best, for word on the peak of the

saddle, crouching down in that low style. Such a prodigious talent.

She knows the gold medal is ours. This is it. They have got to the

crest. She has just over a kilometre 1/2 to go. And it just

gets flat now. A good ride by the Australian, she has surpassed

itself. She has ridden with conviction. She has not been afraid.

Look at the crowd. A 30 years of age, Rick Sean Dillon, -- Rachel

Nelen. Marianne Vos is fired up. This is going to be the greatest

kilometre she has ever written. The sweetest kilometre. Still a silky

smooth style, Marianne Vos. She is going to win the World title to add

to the Olympic title. Only one woman has ever won the World title

having won the Olympic title in the same season. And that was back in

2008. Look at turnout, the, to sign is just ahead. She knows she has

got it. -- there kilometre sign. Holland have dominated this. I did

not think it was possible for Marianne Vos to write like this. It

punched a hole through the rest. It is just a matter of, well, I will

take my time. Vos is going to arrive on the line here to carve

her Name into sporting immortality. What a sensational piece of riding.

She takes a cursory look back. But nobody has got the power to put

under pressure. Tell you what, I would not be surprised to see a

little tear down those cheeks. Here is a challenge from the Australian.

But she will never reach Vos. 500 metres to go for Vos, and already

the uproars is ringing out. They are going ballistic. -- the

applause. Everybody is trying to take a picture of Marianne Vos. She

is going to be the world champion. They are in perfect formation

behind her. Gold, silver, bronze. As she picks up the flag, the

national flag is in her hand, and she is celebrating. Here she is,

Vos wins her second world road title, and remember, she is also

the Olympic champion. She celebrates, and in style! Marianne

Vos, the number one rider in the world, has shown us why she has

that reputation. Here comes the rider for second, it is a cracking

piece of bike riding by the Aussie. Good riding to claim the second

place on the podium. The bronze medal, well, that is going to be

taken by the Italian. We had to wait a long time for it. But when

the action imploded, it was worthwhile. The fourth place when

now is Amber Neben. She will be flagged as a national hero.

This is one of the things I love about cycling. The fifth place

rider will not get a medal but she has done a lot of riding to enable

Vos. Quite funny as well that we were predicting a bunch sprint a

few hours ago. But they are coming in one by one. They are limping

over the line. Marianne Vos, what a phenomenal bike rider. You could

wax lyrical forever. It is a joy to watch. They don't come along often.

There we are. Let me confirm the The first British rider to finish

was Emma Pooley. JILL DOUGLAS: Merrien,

congratulations. Nobody could be due today on that course.

Well, yeah, nobody is unbeatable. Anything can happen. But I felt

really good at the start. I knew the course suited me and that I had

a strong team behind me. The Dutch were amazing. Not only the Dutch

riders, but also the crowd. They helped us through the race.

We were riding for Emma, and when Vos went away, that is when she

should have gone. There was an Italian rider who went into her. It

was a physical race, in that sense. But, yeah, we did everything we did

today as a British team. Vos was the strongest. She has shown it all

year. Emma Pooley is coming in now.

Disappointment, I know. You just missed the break and you were

blocked, anyway. Yeah, yeah. I didn't do a bit -- a

good job today. I had good support from the girls and I knew that Vos

was going to jump across. I was even write there and I was slightly

blocked in. I just did not have the jump to go with her. Once I had

missed it, we couldn't chase it back. It was my job to go then and

I couldn't. Not just disappointing, I think I was a disappointment.

Sorry about that. I let them down. A bit of a shame.

You have never let us down in the many times we have seen you. I know,

in your mind, now is not the right time to answer, but you are

querying what to do next year. At this stage, when EU think you can

make the decision? I'm not sure. It depends whether I get the offer

from the team or not. Days like today don't fill me with

encouragement because I just feel like I have been a bit of a

disappointment all year. It is not through lack of trying and it is

not through a lack of support. I don't feel like I am where I want

to be. I just want to say that I had really good support from the

girls today. They did a great job. I had a bit of a crash as well and

I hit my back and my head. I did not feel my best. It is part of

bike racing. I certainly hope you stay with it

because you want to put this on to bed and come back fighting.

Yeah, maybe. I never do a good job at the World Championships.

The traditional press Commons was enlivened when the BBC's co-

commentator decided to tag along. He has been at the forefront of the

sport's fight against doping. He came along to hear UCI president

defend the governing body. First of all, the UCI has nothing

to be apologetic about. The UCI has always been the international

federation that does the most in the fight against doping in

relation to hiding a sample. The UTA has never hidden a sample,

particularly in relation to Lance Armstrong. In relation to rumours

that Armstrong had been informed in advance of testing, that is a

complete fallacy. The action taken, what is your

position on that? I think it is the best thing that

has happened to cycling in a long time. It is going to offer us the

closure we have been leading. It is going to be traumatic and it is

going to be a tough passage, but I think if we want to move forward

and continue with all the good stuff we have done, I think we need

to have some closure. You asked whether there was any

apology. I expect you were looking for some contrition on the part of

the UCI. That did not seem to be forthcoming.

One of Pat's statement was that he considered that EU see I had

nothing to apologise for -- EU see I had nothing to apologise for. I

was uncomfortable with that because they had a big part in what

happened. Whether they believe it or not, they should accept it. They

should be contrite. We all have to be, in our way. The coaches, the

sponsors, even the media, and in a small part, the fans. We all have

to realise what happened was wrong, and we have two more forward.

What is your position on drawing a line under what has gone on?

In a perfect world, that would be great. But we don't live in a

perfect world. We move forward by punishment, to some degree. In

order to acknowledge what happened, I think an amnesty would be close

to brushing it under the carpet and saying, look, we did something

wrong, let's move on - we need to take it more seriously than that.

Are you optimistic about cycling at the moment?

I'm a total optimist. I would not be here talking about this now and

coming here and wanting to go into the press conference and question

him if I did not believe we were making changes. With my team, we

were the pioneers, I think. Where we are now, five years later, we

have a British team winning the Tour de France. That would not have

happened without the optimism that we had five years ago.

Thank you, David. Fresh from that Tour de France success and that

gold medal in the London Olympics, Bradley Wiggins is here in Limburg

as part of a strong British team. People keep saying, I'm surprised

to see you here. Normally the Tour de France is at this time a year.

We have changed the traditional cycling a bit. It is not always

about me. There's always a role to play for somebody else. I'm happy

to come here for somebody else. We have got so many cards to play in

British cycling now. There's always somebody who has targeted this.

That is nice. The sport has changed. But we still

have to deal with Lance Armstrong. Still we are talking about a guy

who Buck Buck Buck -- a guy who... The consensus is, it was so long

ago, why drag it up? For those of us that don't really follow the

goings on of that thing, you just hear little things about it. I

heard that Pat was suing someone. Digesting, surely there's more

important things to be dealing with? -- you just think. This is a

bloke who, you can understand why people want to bring him to justice,

but I just don't think it tell us what we are doing now.

What about this year's race? A different team, Jonathan Tiernan-

Locke coming in, a different course. What are your thoughts going into

I wrote this course as a junior 15 years ago. -- I road. The weather

could play a factor. Jonathan is in a great form at the moment. Yeah,

there's always a job to do. We have got nine riders. Dave, Shane and

rot will have a plan. We will go out there and try to implement it

for Jonathan. It is not going to be as straightforward as last year,

but we will have a go. It is a lumpy course. On paper, it

suits my strength. It depends how controlled it is. The finish comes

1.5 kilometres after the hill. I think it is going to be more open

than just for the climbers. How have you enjoyed your year?

It has gone really quickly. No, I am satisfied. I'm not satisfied,

actually. But I have done the jersey the justice it deserves. I

wanted to win, I wanted to be good consistently. It is a jersey that

holds so much meaning in cycling. There's not many other sports that

represent you are the champion for a Horia. Yes, I wanted to win. --

for a whole year. 15 races are won this year. I am on a kind of

personal level, and I would like to have done more. It did not happen.

But satisfied personally? Maybe not as much as I could be, but it has

been a good ear. There have been frustrations. Do

you want to make changes to give yourself a better opportunity to

win races? I think there will have to be

changes to win more races. Across the board, that has been stated.

Where are we with that? It is a long haul, so I can't talk

about it. What are your thoughts on this

course? I think we need to get on to

Cavendish and start motivating him. I know he is not thinking about

winning on Sunday, but maybe he could be.

Does it suit you, this course? Probably if it will -- was around

the time of the Tour de France, may be. I feel quite thinly spread at

the moment. I don't think I will be in the final few laps, not in

contention. Maybe with Stephen Cummings, we might be.

The men's road race, you were a member of the team that helped Mark

Cavendish win the jersey a year ago. It is different expectations here.

But the world's best will start this race. Where is your money

going? It is a hard course. It is a course we do at the

beginning of the year in April. It is always the same guys at the

front. The Italians will always be good because it is the sort of

course they love. I would go with the usual suspects.

The Spanish two in particular, a real team of superstars. Is that a

strength or weakness? Spain is the only team way you can

call that a strength. They are so loyal to each other, they will

decide a tactic, and they will stick to it. Other teams will be

disrupted. You can have faith that the Spanish, they will race

amazingly, and with one goal in mind. I think they will be the team

Let's look at Great Britain. You're a key member of the team a year ago.

Mark Cavendish comes here to defend his title. What will the tactics

be? You have to understand that although he is coming here to

defend, it is a course that he cannot win on. That may sound

pessimistic but it is the truth, it is not designed for him. He is

honouring the jersey by coming here. He will be working for his team-

mates and the stronger star Chris Froome and Bradley, although he has

not been at the front over the last while, he is still the number one

rider in the world. We have a strong team but not as strong as

last year. I think we will raise more openly and more dynamically.

How did you enjoy riding this course? Do you know the Cauberg

well? I have never liked it that well. Although it looks easy, it

can become very hard. There is a misconception because it is so wide,

you cannot see how steep it is. It is a horrible finish. You need to

be a sprinter and a strong climber to be there at the finish.

Norman, he should relish this? Normally, ice you would say that he

has a good chance but because there is the 800 metres, flat from the

top, the re- Brokeback -- to regroup could happen and a lot of

guys will regroup for the flat sprint. I will not ride him off. I

think Belgium will have to be playing Gilbert and Tom, who will

be sitting pretty waiting for the French -- Sprint. This is the sort

of terrain that has convinced Mark Cavendish she cannot win today. It

is more of a Jonathan Tiernan-Locke kind of course but longer than

anything he has tackled before. Then it climbs the Cauberg and does

10 circuits of the town. Before that familiar Finnish atop the hill.

It should suit Phillipe Gilbert of Belgium. As the team defending the

rainbow jersey of Mark Cavendish, Great Britain have the honour of

Great Britain have the honour of leading the peloton. And there was

trammelled in the first hour as one of the pre-race favourites took a

seat -- to K4, Spain's Oscar Freire. Great Britain missed the first move,

and were left working hard, leading the chase on the front of the

Ellerton. Mark Cavendish, shouldering the bulk of the work.

The enthusiasm of the local crowd so nearly had catastrophic, --

catastrophic consequences as eaglet on a head by a reporter's sign. Six

men broke away from the pattern. The lead group grew to almost 30

riders. Alberto Contador jumped across, taking with them Jonathan

Tiernan-Locke. By that time, nearly 100 kilometres had taken their toll

on Mark Cavendish, who retired from the race. A crash split the

Ellerton on the Cauberg. -- the peloton. Approaching for the 9th

time. The race is finally poised with his group clear. Only a

handful of seconds separating them -- separating them from the peloton.

This is the leading group and there are some favourites here. Umberto

Contador, Jonathan Tiernan-Locke, they have been the strongest so far.

Steve Cummings has now been caught. It is a strong lead. You get the

feeling that there is going to be a reaction at the head of the peloton.

It is still Fletcher at the front. He has been out of the front -- out

at the front for a long time and his legs must be soon to be

exploding. Germany are in the next, trying to take the chase. They are

getting involved. The British team are so prominent. Ben Swift is

looking amazingly comfortable. Cabals has been at the front for 10

kilometres. That looks like full San going backwards. Here comes the

peloton. -- Fulsan. This is a crucial point of this World

Championship event. Germany decides to turn the screw. An injection of

pace by Germany. This is what needs to happen. By Enterprise Germany

are doing it. Contador is now launching. He is coming from behind,

laying the groundwork for his riders. Alberto Contador, with his

trademark style, going to the front and beginning to raise the tempo.

And the crowd are loving it. Jonathan Tiernan-Locke has seen the

move and he is on the back here as the front group is fragmented

slightly. Tommy Butler on the left, looking to counter-attack. This is

a trademark move from them. Contador is not at all scared.

Steve Cummings is struggling and it looks like he may get attached.

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke looks as though he has read the move. The

peloton is beginning to fragment. The strong men are having the right

side of the road. We are run for a grand finale. Two more circuits

when they get to the line. This is the key move after so long. Why do

nothing we expected this. The pace of the race has totally changed.

The fact that Steve Cummings is there is impressive. He was

involved in the counter-attack that launched 100 kilometres away.

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke is riding out of his skin. This is the most

impressive company has ever mixed with. The representation of the

riders is not frightening him at all. Contador is looking across.

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke is still there. We are getting towards the

defining moment of this contest. think this is what is going to keep

happening. What we expected is that the attacks will go strong at the

Cauberg and then when it flattens out, it would get back together

again. At the front, there is no harmony. Contador is ready to

attack. Jonathan Tiernan-Locke is the front guy. Cool as a cucumber.

He looks as though he has been out for a touring holiday. But he has

been in the biggest contest of his life. Here is the regrouping at the

back. And now we have a sizable group. We're waiting for the

counter-attack. Jonathan Tiernan- Locke needs to be vigilant. There

is a little splinter group, and if that does, he needs to resist that.

Fletcher coming at the top. All the key figures are still there.

many times have we written Thomas Bojinov? And he is right there.

is playing an intelligent race. This repositioning has given us a

group ahead of approximately 30 riders. Jonathan Tiernan-Locke is

floating in the wheels and looks as though he has a lot of energy to

use. The German, bringing in the chasers. I think the Germans have

been forced to make that move, but it may have been a wasted effort.

They have lost four riders. It has been ripped to pieces. The Dutch

have had the biggest disappointing race after that crash, over half

their team are stuck behind the front of the race. The race is in

pieces and we expected this but it is a sizable group. Handshakes all

round for writers deciding to, today. They have made a big

injection into the pattern of the event but now it is game over.

Italy and Spain. They have done their job. When it did go, after 40

kilometres, the two riders, it was their job and they did that job.

They have worked incredibly hard for last two laps to set this up.

We expected him to capitulate because he has been in the thick of

it. But we still have a lot of racing to come in this concluding

32 kilometres. And the contest is far from over. There has been a lot

of good riders not out. Peter Sagan, he was isolated. We know that will

not be a problem for him. And the Italians are at the front. I think

they have realised that they have to commit. Presumably they have

Moser in there, and he will be the key man. Of course, he is the

cousin of Francesca Moser, we mentioned earlier when we are

pursuing the -- previewing the men's race, at he is like a missile.

If he attacks the race, he will be another man to look out for. We

tried to see whether Peter Sagan is up here. Sammy Sanchez, he is here.

Everybody is getting on the attack on the Cauberg. Alun Davies is on

his wheel. These are the key number two riders. Sammy Sanchez is having

a go, the man that came after the silver medal in Beijing. The front

group, actually, at the moment, his 70 strong. It is a massive grip.

There were 17 in front and 60 behind. Some guys have dropped.

Fletcher, is that Fletcher? No, it is not. That is low growth. -- Luke

Rowe. Alun Davies is one of the biggest threats, because he can

climb. This is one of the guys that we stop, he can match Peter Sagan

to a certain degree. He is having a good ride, as is the big German

sprinter. The number one German sprinter is obviously not here, but

debt and golf is a man who will need respect. -- Degenkolb. There

is a bit of cramp creeping in. is clear in the script that the

fastest guys are getting involved. Everyone will agree that none of

them want to deal with Degenkolb. He is currently the fastest guy. I

have to say, I am pleasantly surprised that he is still there.

This has been a war of attrition. The group is so big. There are

three areas there. Freire, what a canny race he has been having. Have

you spotted Valverde? I have not. There is a group of Spanish riders

in front. Their peers. -- there he is. The three of them are talking

and they will be discussing how they feel. The Spanish will figure

route to will be the number one man and what moves they will make.

Contador is still there and you get the feeling he is happy to lay down

here at the expense of the rest, to try to deliver the right man to the

front. There is no doubt that he is having fun out there. He knows this

is the race for him. He will work hard for the team. He's trying to

set it up. The good news here, in the closing stages, Great Britain

have still got five riders in there. You are looking at two of them but

we have Jonathan Tiernan-Locke, Stannard, Luke Rowe and Danns West.

It is a fine effort. -- Ben Swift. It is remarkable. It is made up of

mostly home-grown talent. And good riders. Swifter, he looked so easy

on the Cauberg last time, just sitting in front. And Jonathan

Tiernan-Locke is matching Contador battle for pedal. And Luke Rowe has

won the first stage of the tour to Britain. -- Tour of Britain. He is

a fine professional. I think this is a good test. Some of the young

guys, if you can race this length at this stage, they are destined to

progress. We have been speculating on the fact that Jonathan Tiernan-

Locke is moving into unknown territory after 200 metres. -- 200

kilometres. He does not have a wealth of experience of a race as

long as this but what we have seen so far, he is a serious contender.

He is making it look easy. He races with these guys weekend, week out.

It is great to see that he is not fazed by it. That is just a

psychological aspect. He seems to be taking it in his stride. He is

prepared to lock horns with the best. The reputations of the riders

here hold no fear for Jonathan Tiernan-Locke. We have 1.5 laps to

go. 25 kilometres before we know who will be the World Champion. We

think Kolobnev will be the big Russian favourite. He is a big

sprinter. He is twice a world silver medallist. The Cauberg is

not far now and I think some teams will launch a major offensive. I

think they want to put Contador under stress. They want to coax

something out of them so that when they do go, it will be too much.

had been going through the list of riders and I do not think that

Kolobnev is there. Yes, he is, using the group. The Russians have

their ace card in the survivors. And he is a coming rider. -- coming

rider. These guys will be the ones who know how to hide, and they are

coolers cucumbers and they do not get worked up. Freire is one of

the Cauberg. They have got to do it. They have got to break this group.

Look at the British team. The way they are racing is fantastic.

Copenhagen. Like Copenhagen, yeah. That is our

style. It is not to be used always, but it is a good one to imply. --

employer. I'm proud to see that. too. Where so patriotic. -- we are

so patriotic. Once you have the jersey on, your determination rises.

It does. Especially now, it means a lot more to us. A few years ago, we

were a hotch potch of 18. Now we are feared.

We are the greatest nation in the world when it comes to track racing.

We are establishing the same reputation on the road. The yeah,

are all in all off. We have not seen a talent like his, well, maybe

a couple in my whole career. Should he be the one that wins? He

has been stood in front of the Mirror, practising. We shall

speculate. No pressure. Look at this, an attack by the American.

What an attack. This is literally the move. Everybody was relaxing

waiting for the Cauberg. The Cauberg is the focal point of

the match now. The Belgian is trying to get on terms. Luke Rowe

will not contribute to the pace. Great news by Ian Stannard.

That is a great pairing. I reckon it is underlining exactly

the reputation of Stannard, and that is from Taylor Phinney, he

said he is the strongest man on the planet.

If you see somebody coming up to you, you want it to be somebody

like Ian Stannard. You know he is going to work hard and you know he

is incredibly strong. We have a brace of riders who had

the temerity to distance themselves from the existing peloton. We have

got about 50 in the shake-up, but these are the two ha -- LA setting

the rhythm. No team has actress -- actually

taken control. I think what we are going to see now is a lot of people

who think, well, let's let these two go. Spain are definitely going

to attack. The beauty of that, David, is when

they get on the Cauberg, whoever jumps clear, they were profit.

This is the best situation. They are not going to have to deal with

the fighting position. The guys that are attacking from the peloton

at the bottom, by the time they get to those two, they will have slowed

down a bit. They gave the tree a shake, and it

was not dramatic, but what was dramatic was how far they went

clear. The Spanish are looking after their sprinter. Belgium have

two ace cards to play, including Gilbert.

By this point in the race, you are dreading you don't miss the gel. If

you miss it, you are in trouble. The numbers are still being

crunched. Tiernan-Locke, surely he is not going to attack here? A

night when there has been generated. They will not be involved with the

fierce jumping on the her -- foothills of the Cauberg.

This is the perfect situation for the British team. So, Luke Rowe

just policing the move at the front. There's Contador, just a bit

further back. There are some tired-looking guys

there. The race face is on now. These

warriors have been out there for what, 5.5 hours.

This is a perfect attack. The speed he goes by, nobody can react to it.

Ian Stannard thought, that is a good move, I think I will go with

that. That is what a true racer does.

They have gained another second, hard-earned.

It is a headwind along here, what is going to make it a lot harder

for them. If they can make it through to the Cauberg, Ian

Stannard will go like a lunatic into it.

Let's hope he stays upright! What a race this has been. It has been

astonishing. I know we have said it several times, but we have seen so

many developments. We had a major crash at the back of the peloton.

It all came back together. Other riders have chance their arm. And

we still have not got the group of selection.

There are going to be a few decisions made here. Belgian can't

afford any more riders to help him out.

Five kilometres to go to the finish, which is 2.5 miles. Three miles, I

should say. That includes the Cauberg. That is not a victory gap.

But is a nice -- it is a nice advantage to have.

They will regroup and try to get to the front before the descent into

the Cauberg. 20.8 kilometres remaining, then.

There were attacks immediately the flag dropped.

This is the group behind. One of the defining moments is going to be

getting into that corner. It is almost as much of a race getting

into that corner as to the finish line.

16.1 kilometres remaining when they get to the finish line in this

little village. They have seen a lot of action here over the years.

To get inside the last two laps of the world champions, that is

something that not many people do. -- will championships.

That underlines the unbelievable power that Stannard has. He is

embracing the action at the front. He is doing it with great

conviction. We are so used to seeing Stannard

doing dogsbody work. Today he has been given an opportunity to wait

to the end of the race and actually be there when it is all going down.

You can see now that the urgency is creeping into the front of the

peloton. They are getting towards the left hand, and everybody wants

to be at the front when they sleep -- sweep around. That is why the

British riders were trying to come through.

When you go through that corner, it is going to thin it out. They have

only got two more times up there. You need to be in the front because

what is going to have happen is, the guys are going to open up their

wheels on the weaker guys. You can end up chasing down.

We have had the appetiser, now we are looking forward to the juicy

main course. I have a feeling it is going to start here. These two need

to get to the elbow of the bend before the peloton. The strong men

will come to the fore. This could be the group of selection. Ian

Stannard, this big, strong, powerful rider, who rides for Team

Sky. Let's see who turns the screw. This is a scary moment because they

know it is coming from behind. Great Britain on the front, well,

they will be slowing it down. have just done that!

They just touched the brakes and the rest standstill. When they jump,

that will reflect. So few teams do that kind of thing.

Perhaps they are doing a bit of work for Stannard. Tiernan-Locke is

in there again, in the middle. A problem for a rider at the back.

Gosh, look at Ian Stannard. He has got so much power.

He does the same thing all day. He doesn't seem to get weaker.

He is an absolute animal. Look at the power of Stannard. He has blown

the American away. Ian Stannard is now leading the world road-race

championship to the top of the Cauberg with just under a lap to go.

This is phenomenal bike riding. Jonathan Tiernan-Locke was on the

front of the peloton just behind. This is brilliant. This is what

everybody has been waiting to watch Stannard do. He is so strong.

If that is the Russian behind, he is full of riding.

He has got over the tough but -- bit. They are all there.

A brilliant group of selection. Come on, Ian, get your second wind,

mate. This is the defining moment. The

big guns are beginning to fire. Ian Stannard grits his teeth. There's

still a lot of riders in contention. Everybody is hanging on to the

wheel in front for dear life. It is a case of everybody riding

defensively. Gilbert 6 second wheel. -- six

second will. Tiernan-Locke really is mixing it with the best.

Ian Stannard managed to hold his wheel when he went by. This is

classic up. -- classic. The Italian is such an exciting bike rider to

watch. He is up there, and look out for him on the last time up the

Cauberg. We can see little split. The danger

is this counter-attacked at the top of the pine.

That looks like Philippe deal that having a crack at the front. --

Philippe Gilbert. We have got a serious contest on our hands now as

they are coming up to the line. 16.1 kilometres to decide where the

rainbow jersey is going. First time, then, that Jonathan Tiernan-Locke

has reacted. This is where the moves will be dangerous.

Dan Martin is racing well. He can still sprint where some of the best

sprinters in the world. Is that Thomas though Clarke?

Becomes the freight train. -- Here comes the freight train.

A little attack on the left. A counter attack as well. This is

Nibali at his best. This is his sixth attack. He is the

only guy that can do that. This is where the guys need to go as hard

down. They had dismissed Degenkolb and they have two options. They can

fight all the way through NT shutting things down. The aerial

view gives us some other numbers, Australia represented in this group,

by Simon Clark. The home nation does not have a sprinter. I would

not count on them to get the wind. Their sprinter is usually

Degenkolb's leading man. -- lead in man. Unless there is a move on this

circuit, this is going to be fairly neutralised. Sammy Sanchez is still

in the group, mixing it well. Three from friend -- three from Spain

have written miraculously. -- ridden. Freire is the hot favourite.

They have four favourites in this group. Actually, six. My goodness

me, said Tom Bowman, that hurts but you have not shut me off. He is in

the group, Sammy Sanchez, the rich and a shadow. Say again, Peter

Sagan, he is there. 22 years of age. -- saying. Saturated with class for

at -- saturated with class and power. They must be worried about

Peter Sagan. Everyone is worried about Peter Sagan. I think Belgian

are committed to keeping it together as much as possible. --

Belgium. Gilbert is the 4th man in the line there and Peter Sagan is

that right in the way of Phillipe Gilbert. How much will that unearth

the Belgian? -- on nerve. Last year, it would have been a question as to

whether he would have won but this year, it is more in Peter Sagan's

Court. Australia doing the driving now. A little flurry of activity.

It has come down a little bit of the race was in a very angry mood.

Now it is beginning to settle down as the riders are gathering, ready

for the next onslaught. The German, at the top of the screen, he is the

fastest. But he has to get to the top. He was in 6 star 7th position

at the Cauberg last time. It looks as though the group is forming

again for an attack. I think we only have Tiernan-Locke and Ian

Stannard there now. They're getting near for the final time. Alun

Davies, we have not spoken much about him but he is still present.

He is one of the fastest guys. is a very good finisher. I think he

got a silver medal in the world championships a few years back.

has been up their two or three times. He could be someone to

consider. There are a lot of sprinters in there. It is going to

be so hard for somebody to go on that climb. They're going to need

to go from bad bottom corner, then sprint for as long as you can, but

you can't do it halfway up. They need to be going from the bottom.

An impressive display of Belgian and Spanish presence at the front.

They are not going to allow anyone to go clear. Belgium has five

riders left, Spain have sex. They are the strongest teams. Italy have

four that I can see just gathering. They are here in numbers. We have

Nibali, who was so exciting. And then the best sprinter, Moser.

think Italy, in order to stand a chance, they need to be leading

into the corner of the Cauberg. Each rider going as hard as they

can. Hoping that Nibali or Moser are there when they make that

choice. There are so many sprinters year. Somebody has got to chance

their arm to go clear and spoil the party for the sprinters. 10

kilometres remaining. Six miles of action left from this race. It has

been spellbinding throughout. As we have seen the brakes developing.

Simon Clark, and doing a great job here. -- doing a great job. Alun

Davies is looking pretty easy. They have good cards to play there. Ian

Stannard at the back now. By maybe he has given his all. A big German

sprinter, number 8 is seven, next to the German champion. -- No.

Sammy Sanchez is doing domestic duties which shows you the sort of

team they have. It rider of his calibre, to be basically a worker.

Sammy Sanchez has just written of the tour of Britain and, as his

final warm-up for this. Russia as well, I this looks like Contador or

making a little attack. He might try to disrupt the rhythm of the

Belgians. I think he has Rodriguez on his wheel. Basically, they will

discuss at a money each other. -- discuss it among stage other. When

Sammy Sanchez is willing to ride at the front, that shows that they are

buying into what they're doing. For Oscar Freire, he has had a good

race. Number 13. I think they're going to shove Valverde up that

climber. I think they're going to try to close gaps. They need to get

back into the group with 500 metres to go. Freire looking for his 4th

title, if he did, it would be his 4th world record. Kolobnev looking

strong on the last visit to the Cauberg. As a round the bend for

the last time... Jonathan Tiernan- Locke has proven that he can raise

these longer distances. And with the best. I wonder if he still has

an ace up his sleeve. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that it is not going

to be a sprint. The pellets and is still chasing. It is starting to be

difficult for these two riders. front group are distancing

themselves. It is crumbling at the back. As expected, the strong men

are coming through. Kolobnev of Russia, the dark horse, one of the

men in the front group to look out for. Peter Sagan is there,

representing Slovakia. Freire -- Moser of Italy. Sammy Sanchez and

Gilbert. They are all in the next. We have not seen much of Gerrans. A

brittle Contador coming to the front. -- Alberto Contador. I think

they have used up Sammy Sanchez so now it is Alberto's time for the

duties. I am not sure how they're going to ride the Cauberg, whether

he is going to ride offensive like. Spain are committed late --

committed now. -- Write offence of teams have missed the move, it has

come right exactly how the big teams wanted. Some of those big

teams, each one of them could be leaders in another team. It is a

hugely strong selection. They have displayed to and what they are.

Some riders in imperious form in this front group. We will see that

reflected in the final ascent. The notorious Cauberg, the scene of

many grade lavatorial struggles. And there will be none better than

this one. -- great gladiatorial struggles. There is no rain here,

I'm police say, and equality select group approaching the climb for the

final time. They have the big dissent and Contador is happy to

play the role of the domestic. seems that Spain are trying to

control the race. Germany, surprisingly, have been effective.

But they need to get right -- get Degenkolb right to the front.

EU do not think he is in the right position? No. -- you do not think.

Quite happy to keep out -- keep tapping out the riven. Contador,

still second in front of the Belgian representation. Davies from

Australia, and Gerrans is also in this group. And of course Dan

Martin from Ireland, reflecting his strength. All the be Ryder's have

bodyguards on their left. Kolobnev is being protected, Valverde is

being protected. The riders from Colombia are there. This is the

time to amplify your intentions and strengths. So much speculation and

I feel that it is now going to be embroiled with activity. It is

botching up now, not necessarily because it is slowing down but

because of the head wind. Germany are finally moving up. Degenkolb is

shouting to his team-mate. He is definitely in control. He is in the

form of his life with those five stage victories. In Stannard is

coming once again with Jonathan Tiernan-Locke on his wheels. It is

looking like he is going to try to place Jonathan Tiernan-Locke near

the head of the peloton. I'm sure he can do it. Basically, they are

dried racing each other. -- drag contest. We are at the business end

of the contest and they are in an angry mood. Five kilometres to go,

only 2.5 until the bottom of the climb. Standby for the cavalry

charge. Also high in his prepared. I have not seen any French riders

for a while. They have missed out after their earlier posturing. That

will be a big loss. That whole group is bunched together. It is

crunch time. It depends on how many riders they have left. Peter Sagan

has none. He does not need any. Martin is sticking together with

his team. The cousins are looking want this turn first. Look at

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke. Cool as a cucumber. Italy coming through. Ian

Stannard is beginning to stoke it up. A reaction from Italy. They

come to the front. Actually, they dilutes the effort of Ian Stannard.

That is perfect for Ian. He is getting a little rest.

He has been squeezed back a bit, though.

As long as he has room to come back, he is fine. OK. Total commitment

from Italy. They are getting closer to the left-hander. There will be a

squealing off breaks as they come screw.

Three kilometres to go. It is on a knife-edge, absolutely

on a knife edge. It will be interesting to see what

the teams do now, coming around the corner. He is going to sprint, I

think. Ahead of them, the gold medal, to

become the world champion. OK, let's see if your prediction is

right, David. Nibali is in second place. The Belgians are all over

him. Also go looking good is Oscar. Jonathan Tiernan-Locke is on the

left of the screen. Belgium have got four riders still

there. Nibali is at the front. Here goes

Gilbert. They are making a big move for Belgium. This is his trademark

move. He did this in Australia. As they turn right into the finishing

line, a deal that has gone for it. Twice the winner of the am still

gulled. -- Gilbert has gone for it. He is committed. But he had not

shut them off. There's a reaction from Russia behind.

This is the Gilbert of last year. We have been waiting all year for

this. I don't think they have got the

strength. Gilbert is still going. 1.7 kilometres to go. The gold

medal and rainbow jersey is waiting. This is perfect. He doesn't want to

drag the Russian. This is perfect. It is better than having one rider

behind. So, the chasers are fragmenting.

This is similar to the women's race. But it is Gilbert showing the

awesome power he has got. He is waving his said that head, as if to

say, I'm in the zone now. -- he is waving his head. He has got theirs.

They are looking behind. It is not going to happen. If one

of them tries, the rest are going to get beaten.

The Norwegian was the world champion a couple of years ago it.

Here comes Gilbert. One of the greatest single day riders of all

time. Isla St has the rainbow jersey in his sights. -- at last he

has the rainbow jersey. He is finding extra strength. He is

turning the key around. He is in imperious form. 500 metres to go.

There's going to be quite a cavalry charge for the second place. Look

at this. The crowd are really supporting him. Philippe killed

that is going to be the world Here he comes, his signature

What a race that was. And so happy for him. He is a good

friend. Everybody was questioning what sort of rider he was. He has

just proven that he is a worthy world champion.

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke came in 19th at the end. But he did stay in the

group. Les be run in a few more places. -- let me run in the point

concluding stages just reflected everything. He conquered the rest.

He tamed the opposition. Talk us through this.

You can see that Nibali goes. It is an amazing attack. He is so in

control. He is waiting for the inevitable weakening of Nibali.

Deal about, how many times has he done that? -- Gilbert. At the top

of the climb, he will know that is a long way to the finish.

This is just crazy. A great reaction from the others.

It was good that Gilbert distance himself.

He has beaten Tom Boonen. To be able to do that on the Cauberg,

nobody else was going to beat him. JILL DOUGLAS: Many congratulations.

Everybody was predicting that you would win today. But you had to

deliver. We did a very good race in Belgium.

We had a mistake in this group. We had nobody in the first 11 guys.

But after, we just kept control in the race. I think we also talk a

lot together. This made the difference, I think. We always were

on the right tactic. At the end, when you can finish like this, it

is amazing. You have won some big races, but

how does it feel to get the rainbow jersey?

It is so much special. I have won the classics, but it is a one-day

race and nobody remembers. If you did not see this race, you would

not know that I was 20. Now I will wear this jersey for the next 12

months. It is crazy. Congratulations on your silver

medal. Philippe was always favoured, but you must be pleased to take the

silver. Of course, I am really happy. I

would like to have the gold. But today I am happy with silver. At

the end I thought it was a bigger group in the sprint. I was waiting.

But I'm happy to get silver. You did a lot of hard work on the

front there today. How would the last stages?

The final climb was hard. I knew I had to be in front to help children

at the end. When the American kid went, I went as well. -- to help

Jonathan. Tiernan-Locke Yourston self- into

this race. -- Tiernan-Locke launched himself

into this race. It was a brilliant performance by

the team in its entirety. The older generation decided to take the work

on early doors. The younger guys took it on. I thought Luke Rowe and

Ian Stannard in particular, Stephen Cummings, they all did a great job.

But hats off to Tiernan-Locke. It is the longest race he has ever

written. It is not in his usual company. He showed great majority.

His positioning was good. I thought it was a fantastic performance and

it bodes well for the future. What will you plan before M?

To get him to big races. Well, David, Philip Gilbert was the

favourite. But he still had to deliver. How impressed were you?

Incredibly impressed. He was a favourite. The majority of people

you ask, they would say his name. In spite of the year he has had, he

has had a terrible year, but he decided to hit form in the Tour of

Spain. I thought he really wanted to win this. He did it in the

manner that is renowned for his races. He won on his own.

It had a bit of everything, that race. Thrills, spills, crisis.

It was brilliant. Everyone knows I love Cavendish, but it was typical

of him to turn up, make the team right, essentially, and make the

presence known. We did not have a plan like last year. We rode

remarkably well. Ian Stannard was off the front and still Luke Rowe

was there. It gave us confidence in ourselves.

We are going to hear a lot more of Tiernan-Locke aren't we?

Everyone was questioning how he would go off the 200 kilometre mark,

and he was following Contador. That is all right! A big future. What do

you expect to see from him? I think it is going to be a bit of

an apprenticeship year. He will be at the front and dominating. It is

a different kind of tactics. There are new competitors. Next year is

going to be a big year for him. going to be a big year for him.

The next cycling you can see on the BBC is the truck World Cup from the