Tour de France 2010
Start: 3 July, Rotterdam Finish: 25 July, Paris
Coverage: Listen to the final hour of every stage on the BBC Sport website (UK only), with selected stages on BBC 5 live sports extra; Watch live on Eurosport and ITV4; Live text commentary each day on BBC Sport website Thomas takes road race title in sprint finish Welshman Geraint Thomas will help Team Sky take on the Tour de France in July after winning the men's British Road Race Championships in Pendle on Sunday. But fellow Welsh Olympic gold medallist Nicole Cooke relinquished her nine-year hold on the women's crown as she was beaten by Emma Pooley. Thomas held off the challenge of team-mate Peter Kennaugh in the final sprint after Team Sky's riders broke clear. Ian Stannard completed a one-two-three on the podium for the British team. The women's race was reduced in length to half after a major crash on the first lap that led to an hour's delay. Pooley had the backing of two Cervelo team-mates as she challenged and broke Cooke's dominance of the event.  | 606: DEBATE |
Thomas will now get the chance to wear the British National Champions' jersey on the Tour, which starts in Rotterdam on Saturday. It will be the first time since 1992 that the jersey will be worn on the Tour's road stages as well as time trials. "It is really special, the Nationals is something everybody dreams of, myself included," Thomas enthused. "This year it has always been in the back of my mind to win here. I wanted to ride the Tour with the team and it was in my head that I could go there with the national jersey. "It is unbelievable to be in the biggest race in the world and I'll be honoured to wear that jersey to represent Britain, this is something of a dream come true." Pooley added: "It's a tough circuit and we really had to race from the gun. "It's such a big thing, the national championships - you can really feel so proud when you pull the jersey on and I'm really looking forward to racing in it over the next year." Pooley deprives Cooke of national crown
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