Severn Bridge Road Race 2010 is won by Phil Sykes (From Gazette Series)

Severn Bridge Road Race 2010 is won by Phil Sykes

8:00am Friday 12th March 2010 in

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A GUTSY move at the top of Old Down hill helped Phil Sykes win the 38th Severn Bridge Road Race and finish the 65-mile course in a record time on Sunday.

With 1km left, most riders slowed down at the top of the hill before the sprint finish but Sykes attacked at the summit to break away and he held off competition from 20 leading riders in an exciting finish to win by just a few lengths.

The Sigma Sport rider finished the West Country’s most prestigious early season race, which circuits Alveston, Olveston and Tockington over ten laps, in a time of two hours and 20 minutes.

Individual rider James Stewart finished second with previous winner Grant Bayton coming third and Jack Kirk fourth out of the 80-strong field of top class riders.

Stonehouse rider Lee Davis was fifth and came third in the King of Mountains, and Duncan Jamieson of Felt racing team, who are backed by Yate-based company Saddleback, finished sixth.

Richard Tanguy won the King of Mountains, while Corley cycles won the team event.

Severn Beach’s Steven Thomas finished in the leading group - a remarkable effort for a third category rider - while Frampton Cotterell-based Luke Dunbar climbed very well and was up with the leaders on the first lap.

South Gloucestershire rider and previous winner Ben Luckwell also finished in the leading bunch.

Last year’s winner and this year’s favourite Marcin Bialoblokci suffered a puncture on the second lap and tried to claw his way back to the front, but the pace was so high that he finished down in the bunch.

Organiser Richard Jarrold said: “I was delighted with the race, it was very exciting.

The escort motorcyclist kept the race in its own bubble and protected the riders.”