NICOLE COOKE retained her women's title at the Argus-sponsored National Road Race Championships on Saturday, then immediately called for one of the world's leading events to come to Newport, writes Gary Baker.

The 20-year-old Commonwealth Games gold medallist, from Wick, near Bridgend, who won the crown 12 months ago, just about sneaked victory in the closing quarter of a mile of the 74-mile ride around East Gwent from Manchester's Rachel Heal.

And, contrary to some who thought the course would be too severe for riders, given some hard climbs, Cooke was full of praise for it.

She said: "The course was fantastic. In the future, if the organisers decide to do it, I think this would be a great course for a World Cup stage or the World Championships."

The Welsh ace, currently leading the World Series, and just a few races away from landing the global title as well, broke away with Heal and a surprise companion on the journey after 16 miles on the first of two climbs up Wentwood Hill.

Milton Keynes' duathlete Vicky Pincombe had only ridden two previous road races, but found herself working with Cooke and Heal right the way through the race, until she finally dropped on the last ascent of Belmont Hill, Caerleon, on the last of three eight-mile finishing circuits.

It was down to the big two to sort themselves out as they reached the stiff incline to the finish in front of the Celtic Manor Resort's hotel entrance, and, when Cooke attacked, Heal had nothing left to respond with.

The trio were always in command and increased their lead from a mere 30 seconds on their initial burst at Wentwood to a full three minutes over a group of four other riders.

Cooke, though, admitted that she suffered a bit of pain during the race due to the knee problem she had when crashing in Canada three weeks ago, which kept her off her bike for a full ten days.

She added: "On the last three laps of the finishing circuit I felt twinges in my knee. I crashed last week (in Italy) and just thought, 'no, the knee,' but, luckily, it was OK."

As for the race, she said: "I thought the first time up Wentwood Hill would be a good place to split the bunch up.

"The three of us were all motivated and worked well together, but I had to dig deep to win it.

"I had to work hard to win the British Championships jersey and I'm really glad to have won it on home soil."

Thirty-year-old Heal, who was eight seconds behind Cooke at the end, had nothing but praise for her rival, even though it meant her finishing as the runner-up for a second consecutive year.

She said: "I was never going to let Nicole go, but it's an international championships and you have to have a worthy winner, which Nicole is. She is just incredible."

Because of her age, Cooke also won the National Championships Under-23 jersey, with Teeside's Catherine Hare and Lorna Webb, from Walsall, second and third respectively in the category, a long way behind.

And there was also a national jersey for 15-year-old Amy Hunt, of Bolton, who took the junior title, which was over two laps of the big Wentwood course.