Commonwealth Games: Guernsey's Sam Culverwell frustrated with finish in road race

Guernsey cyclist Sam Culverwell says he is frustrated that he did not have the support to turn a break in the final 10km into a medal in the men's road race at the Commonwealth Games.

Culverwell, 21 and England's Sam Watson were in front until 1.7km to go before being caught by the chasing group.

Culverwell ended in ninth place, 24 seconds off the gold medal.

"I did a great ride, I couldn't have done any more, so I'm happy with that," he told BBC Channel Islands.

"As it was that English rider didn't help me, and that was it, we got caught and none of us won and as it was England missed out as they didn't win either."

New Zealand's Aaron Gate outsprinted South Africa's Daryl Impey to gold with Scotland's Finn Crockett taking bronze.

Had Culverwell been able to hold on for a medal he would have made Birmingham 2022 Guernsey's most successful Commonwealth games after bowler Lucy Beere's silver medal and Alastair Chalmers' 400m hurdles bronze.

Culverwell's Guernsey team-mates James Roe, Mike Serafin, and Marc Cox finished 40th, 43rd and 56th respectively while Seb Tremlett did not finish the race.

"The boys were amazing, they were all over it at the start, so if I missed any moves they were in them," Culverwell, who takes part in the Arctic Race of Norway with his professional team Trinity Racing later this week, said of his compatriots.

"The big move went with all the favourites, and I got on there and all the main nations were represented so I knew it would stick.

"It was really hard as England had three guys, South Africa had two guys, so I was outnumbered and I had to cover a heck of a lot of moves.

"On that last lap one of the English riders attacked, I got away with him, but then because he had team-mates behind he wouldn't work with me, so it was me versus the rest of the group, which was really frustrating - if he'd have just worked with me we'd have got first and second and that would have been amazing."