Adam Blythe & Hannah Barnes crowned national champions

Tinkoff’s Adam Blythe is the new men’s national road race champion, beating Mark Cavendish of Dimension Data in a sprint at the end of the 207km race that started and finished in Stockton-on-Tees.

In the women’s race, Canyon-SRAM’s Hannah Barnes beat her younger sister Alice of Drops Cycling, who did retain her under-23 title.

10 riders contested the finale at the end of the men’s race, but it was Cavendish and Blythe who fought it out for the red white and blue jersey.

The 26-year old from Sheffield took the win from the former world champion, who had earlier been reported as doubtful for the race due to illness.

Team Sky’s Andrew Fenn was third, whilehe under-23 title went to Tao Geoghegan Hart of the US team Axeon Hagens Berman, who finished sixth.

"I wanted that one,” Blythe told British Cycling afterwards. “All day I was thinking about it and always trying to be in the right move.

“With a couple of laps to go, I thought we might hold off the chase, it was hanging around 20 seconds, we did a few hard turns hoping they'd stay away but we came back together and I just gambled it would be a sprint and luckily I got round Cav.”

Barnes only returned to racing two months ago after being out for eight months with a broken ankle. She told British Cycling: "It feels really great. It was a really big aim for me this year.

“I think having the winter off, it was a realistic aim for me to focus on this race.”

World champion Lizzie Armitstead, winner last year and seeking her fourth national title, had withdrawn over the weekend due to illness, something Barnes said “left the race pretty wide open.”

She added: "I didn't expect Alice to be so close to me really, I haven't raced with Alice in a long time so it was really nice to have her there. For her to have the under-23 jersey as well, we have a very happy mum and dad!"