UPDATED WITH PHOTOS: Lavery edges out Rapha Condor-Sharp for first win of season

Lavery takes the win in his new NODE4 colours from Rapha’s Australian import Lang

Philip Lavery (NODE4 Giordana) has taken a great win in the UK today, Saturday, beating his breakaway companions and a quality field to take the Roy Thame Cup in Buckinghamshire.

The 21-year-old Dubliner took the sprint finish from 23-year-old Australian Richard Lang (Rapha Condor-Sharp) after a fast and furious 69 mile race this morning.

Lavery’s team animated much of the race. However, of the many groups that pulled clear early, none ever built a big enough lead to prove successful until the Irishman’s four-man escape got away in what immediately looked like decisive fashion.

At the end of the second lap three riders were clear – James Moss (Node 4), Gruff Lewis (UK Youth) and Simon Yates (100 Per Cent ME) – but in a pattern that was to repeat itself, they were pegged back with counter attacking ensuing immediately.

Next to have a good go was another of Lavery’s team mates Kieran Friend, who despite not being joined by anybody else managed to put the rest of the field under pressure as they were lined out in the chase behind him.

When Friend was caught, after his fruitless though impressive attack, the race began to take some real shape. Four riders went clear almost immediately on lap three in what was to prove the winning move.

In that group were Lavery and Lang, along with last year’s winner Tom Moses (110% ME) and Ben Stockdale (Metaltek Scott). By the time they were one lap off the front they were working well and had built a very handy gap of around one minute.

Behind, the UK Youth team decided they were going to close it down and rode on the front of the peloton hard after the escape.

While the gap came down by about ten or fifteen seconds, the chasers were failing to make significant inroads into the lead of Lavery and the three others up front. The strong men still in the peloton then started attacking.

That intense period of racing saw a four-man group pull clear in pursuit of the leaders. It included: Justin Hoy (Felt Colbornes), Colin Parry (Wilier-Live 2 Ride), Matthew Jones (Team Corley Cycles) and George Atkins (100% ME).

However, while those four built a lead on the peloton of around one minute they never caught the breakaway and indeed made no inroads into their lead.

Lavery put in a very fast turn of speed to take victory with Lang second and Moses third. Metaltek Scott’s Ben Stockdale got dropped from the breakaway but still managed 5th, with George Atkins (100% ME) putting in a very good ride to get up close to the Lavery group from the chasing group to take fourth place.

It was a very good win for Lavery in a race that featured most of the biggest teams in Britain. It followed his KOH win in the Severn Bridge Classic near Bristol last Sunday, when his chances of a high placing were ruined when he punctured out of the breakaway in the closing stages.

Result: Roy Thame Road Race

1. Philip Lavery (Node4 Giordana)
2. Richard Lang (Rapha Condor Sharp)
3. Tom Moses (100% ME)
4. George Atkins (100% ME)
5. Ben Stockdale (Metaltek Scott)
6. Simon Yates (100% ME)
7. David McGowan (UK Youth)
8. David Clarke (Node4 Giordana)
9. Steve Golla (High Wycombe)
10.Colin Parry (Wilier Live2Ride)

(Result is provisional)