Cycling: Tanner triumphs in the rain

JOHN TANNER of Yorkshire yesterday won the British Road Race Championship after 131 gruelling miles in Solihull.

The 31-year-old from Doncaster was claiming his first national medal after a long and distinguished career which has seen him represent his country at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

The race was run at a hectic pace, averaging more than 27mph in heavy rain, torrential at times. But the conditions were to the liking of hayfever sufferer Tanner, who enjoyed a welcome respite from recent high pollen counts and came home ahead of Kevin Dawson.

Mari Holden and Danny Pate won the elite road race titles at the US Cycling Federation's National Road Cycling Championships in Cincinnati, Ohio. Holden pulled away on the last of eight laps over a 55-mile course for a time of 1hr 57min. Pate won the 111-mile men's event in 4hr 28min.

Results, Digest, page 9