Rowsell powers to national pursuit title

By Sportsbeat staff

JOANNA Rowsell edged out Laura Trott to claim the women's individual pursuit title at the British Cycling Championships in Manchester.

Rowsell is trying to force her way into the three-strong British team pursuit squad, with whom she won the world title in 2008 and 2009.

And she will have done her chances no harm with a 3:30.40 winning time that shaved a massive four seconds off her personal best.

"It's very satisfying to finally win a senior national title after being so close before," said Rowsell, who rode a storming first kilometre to establish control and was briefly inside Olympic champion Rebecca Romero's British record time.

Olympic silver medallist Wendy Houvenaghel, who joined forces with Trott and Danielle King to win this year's team pursuit world title, claimed bronze - beating Paralympic cyclist Sarah Storey, who consoled herself by breaking the C5 class world record.

Matt Rotherham added the senior 1km time trial title to his junior crown, clocking 1:03.671, just shy of the national record, to beat Olympic medallist Steven Burke, while Paralympic champion Jody Cundy took bronze.

Elsewhere, Pete Kennaugh fended off repeated attacks to win the men's points race ahead of Jon Mould and Mark Christian and Jon-Allen Butterworth continued his superb form as he broke yet another world record, clocking a time of 10.897 in the Para Cycling 200m time trial. 

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