Jamie Fletcher of Ellan Vannin Cycling Club was the winner of the annual Topmark Cycles Summer Classic yesterday, as he adapted best to a change of course that was brought in at late notice.

Manx rider Fletcher finished just ahead of runner-up Giles Drake of Wheelbase CabTech Castelli, with the two finishing over two minutes ahead of the rest of the field in a event where 60 competed for the £100 top prize.

There was a further breakaway of Wheelbase’s Sam Lashley and Liverpool Century’s Declan Hudson and the former held off the latter to claim third.

There was a bunch sprint from the peloton in the battle for fifth place and eventually it was Team SB Hub’s Matthew Finnegan who made it over the line just before Joe Howcroft of Otley CC.

Fletcher, who is from Ramsey, Isle of Man, but now lives in Chester said: “I was fourth last year, so it was nice to improve on that this year.

“The change to the course probably made it harder - there was a steep bit down towards the bottom, which just killed the legs, and then you had the extra lap going up the hill because of it, so it was harder this year.”

This was the second running of the race after it was brought back by The Lakes Road Club last year and it was supposed to run on the same course as then.

The riders taking part were scheduled to take in six laps of the nine-mile circuit, which after leaving from Birkrigg, took them uphill to Scales before travelling back down to the Coast Road at Aldingham, along to Ulverston, up Oakwood Drive and back up to Birkrigg.

However, roadworks on Priory Court in Ulverston forced a late change on Friday, with race organiser Richard Dixon saying: “Back in April, we went online and checked for planned roadworks and there wasn’t any, but these were last-minute emergency ones.

“There’s nothing you can do about that and obviously people’s gas supplies are more important than a bike race.

“We then had the choice of either cancelling it or creating a diversion, which we needed the permission of British Cycling to do and Cumbria Police, that king of thing, and make sure we can marshal it safely. It’s been a bit hectic, the last couple of days.

“The original course went into Ulverston, so what we had to do was turn off just before Conishead Priory and then off past the back of the golf club and back out by Edge Hill Farm.”

Dixon was still delighted with how the event turned out, however, adding: “We’ve got sponsored by Topmark Cycles, which gave us a bit more money than last year and that’s allowed us to get more marshals.

“It’s just created a much better race and a much safer one.”