York Cycleworks newest recruit Richard Sutcliffe overcame gale force winds and driving rain to win the Beaumont Trophy road race in Northumbria.

He and team-mate Chris Belsham read the race well and infiltrated the winning break when it formed with just over a lap to go.

As 80 miles on the tough Ingoe Moor circuit began to take its toll they finally forced clear the winning break of nine with 20 miles to go, while the rest of the race disintegrated in the crosswinds.

The final four miles saw frantic attacking as the York Cycleworks riders took it in turn to attack. Finally the opposition relented and Sutcliffe escaped with Kevin Eckersall (Team Mirage). Chris Daddy (Cottingham Coureours) and former Cycleworks rider Steve Ward, now based in France, tried to jump across but Belsham's marking kept them at bay.

The final sprint was a formality for Sutcliffe, who now joins previous Beaumont Trophy winners including Commonwealth Games road race champion Paul Curran and Criterium champion Mark Walsham. Sutcliffe, currently a student of Economics at Warwick, will now look forward to the National Under 23 championships this weekend where he will be among the favourites as he encounters Britain's best up and coming talent.

Updated: 11:41 Thursday, May 09, 2002