TANNER DENIED REPEAT VICTORY

BALBY cyclist John Tanner defended his Premier Calendar lead in his last major outing before the Commonwealth Games road race.

Tanner, who won the event in 1998, was denied a repeat victory when he was pipped by inches by Ireland's David McCann at the 113-mile Manx International race in the Isle of Man last Friday.

But second place saw him consolidate his lead in the season-long Premier Series.

The race came down to a battle between McCann, Irish team-mate Tommy Evans, Tanner and his Compensation Group RT colleague Mark Lovatt.

The decisive move came at the 60-mile mark when Tanner and Evans escaped from a leading group of 30 riders with Anthony Malarczyk (Wales) and Daniel Spence (South Africa).

The race was held in continuous rain. Tanner said: "Before I got away I couldn't change gear and I couldn't get my bottle, I was just shaking with the cold. It helped when I was in the break, it warmed me up a bit.

"It was a fair result - whoever won it out of the four of us would have deserved it.

"It's the first time I've been placed since I won it in 1998 so I'm pleased with that, and I rode really well."

* As John Tanner took a back seat, his team-mate and fellow Balby cyclist Kevin Dawson coasted to victory in the top weekend race on the mainland, the AA Brown road race over a 130-kilometre course at Naseby, Leicester, on Sunday.

Dawson, who also competed in the Manx International race on the Isle of Man last Friday, escaped on the sixth and final lap to beat his Compensation Group team-mate Mark Lovatt, last year's winner of the Welland Valley Wheelers event, by 49 seconds.