Guernsey’s Tobyn Horton chases in vain Mark Cavendish on the last stage of the Tour of Britain through the rain-splattered streets of London. (Picture by Press Association, 1180527)

TOBYN HORTON described as ‘surreal’ the moment he found himself on the wheel of the great Mark Cavendish with a few hundred metres of the finish line in central London.

As you would expect, Cavendish, the world’s best sprinter with 20 Tour de France stage wins under his belt, pulled away from the Island Games criterium champion, but seventh place for the Sarnian left him with a very a satisfied feeling at the end of a tiring week of Tour of Britain stage action.

Horton, who earlier in the tour had produced a superb 24th place finish in the fifth stage and 11th on the seventh, said he had not expected to finish so high in the closing criterium around Whitehall.

But, suddenly, with less than a kilometre to go, Horton was in the mix.