Cardiff World Champion Geraint Thomas failed in his bid to beat British Champion Daniel Martin to first place in the Dudleys Junior Tour of Wales over the bank holiday weekend.
Martin laid down the gauntlet in the time trial storming across from Brynmawr to the top of the Tumble (Keepers) mountain in a record time of  11.mins 53 secs  ,  44 seconds in front of Thomas and a full minute ahead of  Irishman Mark Nestor..
Mayor Councillor Lyndon Moore and  Olympian cyclist Julian Winn  sent the 80 riders on their way out to Crickhowell & Brecon through  to Talgarth Festival on stage 2 on Saturday at 3.00. Team North West Peter Williams was particularly active winning both points competition sprints as well as 2nd and 3rd in the Brecon and Talgarth King of the Mountains. But it was a group of 5 riders driven by Welshman Dale Appleby who led up the Heads of the Valleys into Brynmawr. Adam Norris from Ilford took the stage from Martin Monroe Ireland with a surprise  Geraint Thomas third having jumped across from the second group in the last kilometre and gleaning 20 seconds out of Martin’s lead.
Sunday morning stage started from the Headquarters, Nantyglo Leisure centre at 10.00 under overcast skies with the first King of the mountains at Hafodyrynys  won by Martin Monroe Ireland with Peter Williams second leading over Dutchman Steven Kruiswijk who had been figuring in a few results.  At the Mahhilad  KOM Peter Williams consolidated his lead with another 4 point win with Rob Blunden Wales B in second  place. These two riders continued to force the pace out to Raglan and back and came through the Horse & Jockey sprint in the same position with Wales A Ross Sander a close third.
The three mile climb from Gilwern to the Racehorse Inn above Brynmawr saw all the stronger riders to the fore but it was Peter Williams’s day with Ben Swift Dataphonics just taking second from Steven Kruiswijk .
A heavy shower 15 minutes before the start of Stage 4 on Bryn Bach Park sent everyone scurrying for shelter. When the stage started the riders soon looked as if they were riding cross-country through mud.
The very strong westerly wind gave many of the 16-18 year old riders a real hard time on the toughest closed road circuit in Britain. The race covered 12 laps of this 3km. circuit which rises and fall at least 30 metres per circuit and at the end it became a head to head with Geraint Thomas and Daniel Martin with Thomas beating Martin by a bike length on the line  with Edward Whitehorn  Glendene CC coming in an excellent third at 42 secs. and South East England Ian Field leading in a strung out group of 16 riders at  1min.07 secs.
As the race set off on the last stage from Bryn Bach Park on Monday morning just 34 seconds separated Daniel Martin from second placed Geraint Thomas with the next competitors over 2 minutes in arrears . Up until that point the weekend had been accident free but one rider fell at the start and was unable to continue which set a pattern for three accidents keeping Brynmawr St.John Ambulance officers busy.
Geraint Thomas took the first KOM at Baverstocks Hotel with Peter Williams and Daniel Martin in close attendance. At Hirwaun Rob Blunden (Wales B) took the sprint as he did 10 miles on at Storey Arms. A 20  mile 40 mph chase led the riders to Bwlch KOM  with Peter Williams consolidating his lead by winning with Irish riders Monroe and O’Brien following through.
As the race came through Abergavenny the Dutchman Steven Kruiswijk was 3 minutes ahead with  Peter Williams, James  Sampson, Maurice O’Brien, Derek Burke, Martin Monroe and Rob Blunden.
This meant he was leader on the road at this point. But could he climb the Tumble fast enough to hold his lead.?  As the leaders came past the Cordell Inn halfway up the 3 mile climb Martin Monroe took the lead from Kruiswijk  and at the same time it came over the race radio that Daniel Martin had ridden away from Geraint Thomas. Monroe went across the line at the top of the climb in 2 hours 21 mins 07secs   24 seconds in front of the Dutch rider and 1min. 7 secs ahead of  Martin who hung on to his yellow jersey with Thomas a further 40 secs in arrears.
So at the finish the overall position saw Martin first  with an aggregate time of 7hrs 56mins  31secs., Thomas second at 1min. 14secs, Monroe at 2 mins. and  Kruiswijk at a further 1  sec.   
59 riders finished  which was said to be harder than the week long Junior Tour of Ireland  and gives Geraint Thomas the lead in the season long Reynolds/Michelin national series.
Full result and pictures on website:  www.tourofwales.org.uk