IT took a strong man to win yesterday's Argus-sponsored National Road Race Champion-ships, and Bucking-hamshire's Roger Hammond was thankful that he had been up in the Swiss mountains last week.

Hammond, a former World Cyclo-Cross Junior champion, ground the opposition away up the seven finishing climbs up Belmont Hill, Caerleon, and was so far in advance of the chasing group that he had time enough to get off his bike, put it away and unwind before second-placed man Jeremy Hunt, from Bristol, had crossed the line.

It was a monumental effort from a man who suffered head injuries only a few weeks ago during a race - and the scars were still there for all to see!

But, as for Welsh - and especially Gwent riders - it was all too hard. Abergavenny's Julian Winn, the defending national champion and a rider expected to be right up there at the end, failed to finish after suffering cramps in his thighs.

Cwmcarn's Anthony Malarczyk was right up with the leading group of 13 as they approached the third and final climb of Wentwood Hill on the long 24.3-mile main circuit but, when Winn piled on the pressure at the top of the climb, Malarczyk, winner of the Welsh Time Trial Championships just nine days ago, perished.

His Cwmcarn team-mate Paul Sheppard was in the large second group behind the leaders on the big loop around Wentwood, but he too failed to arrive at the Celtic Manor, while Cwmbran's George Rose, who had a spurt up front for a while, could not get up the demanding three-mile Wentwood ascent.

In all, just seven men out of an original start list of 108 managed to reach the end five hours after it started.

Hammond won his title in five hours 21.15 minutes, 5.21 minutes ahead of Hunt, who, himself, was seven seconds ahead of last year's British Under-23 champion Jamie Alberts.

Hammond now hopes to follow the lead of Winn on the Continent, saying: "Winning last year gave Julian the springboard to go on, and I hope this spurs me on to do it as well."

He added: "I was glad I was in Switzerland last week. On the finishing circuit, it was either up or down and there was no rest at all."

He broke away from a bunch which split during the finishing laps, but added: "I'm used to riding in Belgium and getting to the finishing circuits with only 30K to go. I went at the start of this one, but realised I still had another 80 kilometres left."

Nevertheless, despite the tough nature of the day, it was an absorbing contest, with riders getting straight into the action as soon as the flag was lowered to start the race properly after the de-neutralised zone on the A48 at Langstone.

There were other marvellous performances, especially from the 40-year-olds, like Sheffield's Malcolm Elliott, who was attempting to win the British title again ten years after his last triumph.

But this was going to be Hammond's day, and it took a really hard nut to crack a course which had left so many others reeling.