Alex Dowsett, Jeremy Hunt, Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard and Ben Swift have been confirmed by Team Sky as their riders competing at the 2012 British National Road Race Championships which takes place on June 25 in Ampleforth, North Yorkshire. Stannard will be looking to match or better his two previous top-five finishes whilst veteran Hunt will be looking for his third white jersey to add to those from 1997 and 2001. Neither 2010 winner Geraint Thomas nor reigning champion Bradley Wiggins will attend, concentrating instead on both TdF and Olympic preparations.
Race coach Rod Ellingworth comments, ‘It’s an honour to wear the national colours and if a Team Sky rider can make it three wins from three, it’ll be a massive achievement.’ Adding, in reference to the star riders not attending, ‘In an ideal world we’d have our full British contingent competing, but with the Tour de France and Olympics now very much on the horizon, it simply isn’t possible. Bradley, Chris (Froome) and Mark (Cavendish) are all fine-tuning their condition ahead of a busy summer on the road, while Pete and Geraint are now mid-way through a crucial block of Olympic track training.’
