"It feels good to be champion. It’s been a while since I last won a national title, so I’m delighted to have another one now", said Rowe. The national U23 title race was held alongside the elite event and took place on a selective course in Aberystwyth.

Rowe was part of a strong leading group of five, in which he and Dodd were the only two U23 riders. On the final lap, they kept a close eye on each other, allowing Fred Wright, Lewis Askey and Connor Swift to battle it out for the elite British title. In the battle for the U23 title, Rowe proved just that little bit stronger than Dodd. 

"It was a tough race right from the start. My plan was to stay at the front of the peloton the whole time, because I knew the race would explode sooner or later. Before I knew it, I found myself in a strong leading group. Matthew and I were both in contention for the U23 title, so we mainly kept an eye on each other. That allowed the other three to break away."

Rowe, who recently finished sixth in the overall classification of the Giro Next Gen, came out on top in the sprint. “I knew I was up against a strong opponent. On the final lap, he accelerated and put me under a lot of pressure. I had to dig deep to get back, but I managed it. I’m delighted to be able to wear the British champions’ jersey for a year."