Geraint Thomas defends his breakaway move in Devon

GERAINT Thomas insists he was right to try his luck in an early breakaway in stage six of the Tour of Britain.

GAVE IT A SHOT: Geraint Thomas was part of an early breakaway in the gruelling sixth stage - only to be reeled in at the end (Michelle Rudd)

The Welsh Barloworld rider, who lies sixth overall with just two stages remaining, was part of a five-man pack to pull away from the peloton after just four kilometers of the leg between Frome and Bideford.

But it was a tall order to maintain the gap for the whole 183.7 kilometres, and the peloton - led by race leader Edvald Boasson Hagen's Team Columbia HTC - tracked them down towards the end with Boasson Hagen claiming his fourth consecutive win in the sprint finish.

But Thomas, who covered the exhausting category one climb Winsford Hill as part of the five-man group, passionately defended his strategy.

"You have to gamble sometimes in bike racing," said Thomas, who has signed up for British road outfit Team Sky next season.

"Sometimes things don't work out for you but you have to give it a go.

"I saw the early break and I went with it - but I felt strong and good the whole day.

"I wanted to separate the field out as much as possible and get the Colombia team working hard - they really hard to earn that win."

Meanwhile fellow Olympic gold medallist Chris Newton insisted the pre-race disruption had hampered his own preparations in Somerset.

With teams staying in Swindon and Bristol, many of the riders didn't find their way to Frome on schedule and race organizers were forced to postpone the start time.

And the Rapha Condor rider admitted it was not ideal preparation for one of the most gruelling stages of the races.

"It was always going to be a difficult stage down here and it was made even harder by the long journey down from Stoke," said Newton, who rides for Rapha Condor.

"Everyone was rushing about trying to make it to Frome for the start and it was difficult to really focus on the task in hand.

"It's a shame because we were staying in Swindon and we managed to get there in time and prepare well."

* The Tour of Britain is the UK's biggest free to attend sporting event, attracting over a million spectators per year to towns, cities and communities across the country - for further information please visit - www.tourofbritain.co.uk