Team Sky's Peter Kennaugh Is the new British Road Race champion.
With no defending champion in Mark Cavendish and no Sir Bradley Wiggins, who had won the Time Trial on Thursday, this year's race was wide open.
The mens road race was 117 miles (186kms) long and with a 67 mile start loop and ten laps of the Abergavenny circuit and saw James Lewis (NFTO Pro Cycling), the first to chance his arm, by taking a twenty second lead over the peloton before Team Sky's Luke Rowe, Jon Mould and Tobyn Horton took over on the front.
The chasers hot to within twenty seconds so Rowe and Mould shelled Horton but they were caught after 55kms by a chasing group of approximately 15 riders.
Team Sky had Luke Rowe, Josh Edmundson, Peter Kennuagh, Ben Swift in the next attack which also saw Orica Greenedge duo Adam Yates and Simon Yates plus Madison Genesis' Scott Davies, the U23 Time Trial champion and Team Raleigh's Mark Christian, joining them.
Christian punctured but was able to get back in the group which was 5.15 ahead of the peloton.
Geraint Thomas set off in persuit of the front group and got to within in a minute when Scott Davies was shelled out the back of the group as the riders went into Abergavenny for the first of ten laps.
The seven leaders were 1.30 on Thomas and 2.30 on the chasing group with seventy kilometres left.
Thomas, who will be working for Chris Froome in the Tour De France, pulled out thirty seconds on the front group but was on his own at a time when he needed riders with him to share the work and he dropped back to 1.22 behind.
Josh Edmondson led the front group of seven through with four laps remaining after David Millar had withdrawn, Luke Rowe attacked followed by Simon Yates.
They were brought back and Josh Edmondson was the next to launch off the front.but soon was rejoined by the other three Team Sky riders and Simon Yates.
Peter Kennaugh, who was two seconds and a third in this race, attacked with Ben Swift and Yates with three laps to go. .
Kennaugh and Swift blew Yates away initially with an attack. Yates worked to keep within five seconds but that went out as Kennaugh started to put the hammer down.
With the white striped jersey on offer for the winner, Kennaugh and Swift attacked each other rather than work together.
Yates dropped to 31 seconds down as Kennaugh and Swift started on the final lap.
Kennaugh knew that if it came to a sprint, Swift would win so he attacked but Swift stayed on his wheel.
Both riders were watching each other as they came through the Welsh town.
Swift went first but Peter Kennaugh saw a gap open on the right and took it to win in 4.25.01 with Simon Yates in third.
"It's an amazing feeling" Kennaugh said after the race in which only nineteen riders actually finished.
"On the last lap it was hard to race against such a good mate. He sat on for most of the last lap, and I thought it was game over. But I knew the last 200 metres was downhill and I thought I had a chance. I couldn't believe I won it!
"I've done so many training sprints with Swifty and he leaves me behind every time, but today was my day! I've been so close to this title for so many years, this has to be a really special result for me!"
Result
1 136 Peter Kennaugh Team Sky 04:25:01
2 139 Ben Swift Team Sky 04:25:01
3 90 Simon Yates Orica - GreenEDGE 04:26:10
4 137 Luke Rowe Team Sky 04:26:39
5 135 Joshua Edmondson Team Sky 04:29:02
6 89 Adam Yates Orica - GreenEDGE 04:29:40
7 155 Rob Partridge Velosure-Giordana RT 04:30:44
8 140 Geraint Thomas MBE Team Sky 04:30:44
9 67 Thomas Stewart Madison Genesis 04:30:44
10 142 James McLaughlin Guidon Chalettois 04:30:44
11 63 Liam Holohan Madison Genesis 04:30:46
12 152 Steve Lampier Velosure-Giordana RT 04:30:51
13 102 Ed Laverack Rapha Condor JLT 04:30:54 U23
14 71 Daniel Fleeman Metaltek Kuota RT 04:30:55
15 130 Mark Christian Team Raleigh 04:31:08
16 161 Daniel Pearson Zappi's Racing Team 04:33:47 U23
17 162 Dante Carpenter Zappi's Racing Team 04:33:48 U23
18 101 Kristian House Rapha Condor JLT 04:33:50
19 100 Richard Handley Rapha Condor JLT 04:33:52