Sam Watson escaped to victory in the elite men's road race at the British National Road Championships on Sunday in Aberystwyth after a tough four hours of riding.
The Ineos Grenadiers rider jumped clear as the race passed through the finish line for the penultimate time, and was never caught despite the efforts of a strong chasing group.
Behind, Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) won the sprint for second, ahead of Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech), 30 seconds behind Watson.
It is the 23-year-old's first elite national title, with Brennan winning the under-23 race within a race to claim that crown.
“It’s pretty unbelievable to be honest, I’m over the moon," Watson said post-race. "It’s a bit of a dream, I’ve always wanted the bands on my sleeves for the rest of my career, and to have at least one year in the national champions jersey is an incredible feeling.
“I didn’t feel good all race, probably because it was so hard and I was on the limit. That probably helped me because I was willing to lose the race to win, as soon as I had the gap, I just had to go full gas to the line. I didn’t know what the gap was, it was only at 200 metres to go that I realised I would win.”
A large crash after about an hour of racing split the field and ended the race for many. Seb Grindley (Lidl-Trek Future Racing) and Thomas Gloag (Visma-Lease a Bike) were among those affected. The race was not officially neutralised, despite the road being blocked by the crash for minutes.
On an attritional day in west Wales, a group of favourites had formed at the end of the five large laps, with 100km still to race; it had, however, taken two hours for a group to breakaway from the large peloton which started.
It was a hilly and technical course, with 2,674m of elevation across 187km, with sharp climbs and twisty descents the manner of the day.
In the lead group with five of the small laps around the finish circuit in Aberystwyth still to come were Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ), Jake Stewart, Joe Blackmore and Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech), Brennan, Callum Thornley (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe Rookies), Watson, Jacob Bush (Picnic PostNL Development), Joshua Golliker (EF Education-Aevolo), Owain Doull and Max Walker (EF Education-EasyPost), Oli Knight (Cofidis), Alex Beldon (MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK), Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step), Ollie Wood (TEKKERZ CC), Danylo Riwny (Foran CT), Tom Portsmouth (Wagner Bazin WB), Sean Flynn (Picnic PostNL) and Peter Cocker (DAS Richardsons).
However, the local laps ticked down, the group grew smaller, with the WorldTour pros in the group seeming to be waiting for the perfect moment to make an attack. A promising move from Bush, Thornley, Knight and Doull gained almost 40 seconds, but Knight was then set back by a mechanical, which seemed to take the impetus from that quartet. Brennan, the most successful British rider in 2025, was ever-present on the front, working to bring back moves; if it came down to a sprint, he was a clear favourite.
There were 13 riders left in the front as the race returned to the seafront in Aberystwyth for a penultimate time. This was when Watson attacked, as the pace eased off, and he was never seen again by this group. Brennan and Hayter put in digs on the final lap in an attempt to bridge the gap, but it wasn't to be.
Watson, therefore, had enough time to sit up and celebrate as he crossed the line as the ninth Ineos Grenadiers or Team Sky rider in 16 National Championships to win the race. Behind, Brennan sprinted to silver, and also victory in the under-23 category, with Vernon picking up the bronze medal. Defending champion Hayter followed in in fourth.
The youngest person in the top 10, Alex Beldon, 19, was also the highest-finishing rider to not be with a professional team, or a pro team's development squad - Beldon rides for club outfit MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK.
Results
British National Road Championships 2025 - Elite Open road race (187km)
1. Sam Watson, Ineos Grenadiers, in 4:08:02
2. Matthew Brennan, Visma-Lease a Bike, +29s
3. Ethan Vernon, Israel-Premier Tech
4. Ethan Hayter, Soudal Quick-Step
5. Lewis Askey, Groupama-FDJ
6. Callum Thornley, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe Rookies
7. Oli Knight, Cofidis
8. Alex Beldon, MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK
9. Jacob Bush, Picnic PostNL Development, all at same time
10. Joe Blackmore, Israel-Premier Tech, +36s
