Three-time Olympic gold medallist Ed Clancy OBE won the opening stage of the Manx International Stages Race on Friday evening.

The Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK rider edged out local rider Matt Bostock (Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes) in the final drag to the line in front of a large crowd at the Isle of Man Business Park on the outskirts of Douglas.

The event proved quite a spectacle with hundreds of spectators enjoying the action on a beautiful evening over 50 laps of a fast 1,100-metre course taking in Cooil Road as well as the smooth roads of the business park.

A couple of hefty crashes, one involving five riders with around 10 laps remaining, failed to break up the lead bunch containing all the main teams.

Four laps from the end the Canyon team was driving a hot pace on the front, but next time round Clancy’s squad had surged to the fore.

With the atmosphere building, the Vitus train surged back to the front next time round and heading into the bell lap it was still anyone’s race with Mark Christian’s Wiggins Le Col team looking strong.

But, approaching the line for the final time, Clancy had the edge on Bostock and the experienced former track star took the Manx Telecom presented race by a couple of lengths, with Jacob Scott (SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling) grabbing third in the melee.

The Cycle 360-sponsored stage race continues this morning with a 6.1km time trial hill climb on the Sloc presented by Brother UK.

There’s a 15-lap road race in the south of the island over the reverse Billown Course on Saturday afternoon at 4pm, while a packed three days of action concludes on Sunday with a three-lap Queen stage over the Snaefell Mountain Course from 1pm.