ALEX Dowsett is hoping for a world championships place after wearing the Yellow Jersey in the Tour of Britain.

Dowsett, for Cock Clarks, finished second on the 206km sixth stage from Bath to Hemel Hempstead to take an overall lead in the event.

By then the Commonweath Games time-trial gold medalist had already picked up bonus seconds and points on the second and fourth stages – all adding to his overall Combativity total – and added double mid-race Sprint and Mountains wins on the road to the Hertfordshire finish.

Dowsett, stage winner Matthias Brändle (IAM Cycling) and Tom Stewart (Madison-Genesis) broke clear after 50kms of racing and, working together, opened a gap that at one point stretched to nine minutes before the peloton started to pull them back.

Second place on the stage gave the 25-year-old the lead – and his first leader’s jersey in a National Tour - by 34 seconds with just three stages – including an 8.8km time trial – before the race finish in London.

Dowsett said: “I gave it everything I had on Friday to get the Yellow Jersey I didn’t leave anything in the tank.

“I suffered for it then on Saturday and Sunday.”

The 225km seventh stage from Camberley to Brighton included two climbs too many as Dowsett was unable to hold his place in the front group when they hit a trio of significant climbs in the last 60kms of that decisive section.

He stayed with the main group over the first of those climbs but wasn’t able to keep up with the increasing pace over Ditchling Beacon.

Helped by team-mate Giovanni Visconti they pulled back some lost time but the final climb came too soon, sealing Dowsett’s fate.

Losing over two minutes to eventual stage winner Julien Vermote (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) Dowsett slipped back to tenth place overall.

The final day saw the riders facing a split stage starting with an 8.8km time trial with Dowsett improving his overall position to eighth with just the final 88.8km criterium around the capital.

But Dowsett didn’t hold back even in that final stage.

He broke away, initially on his own before being joined by a handful of co-escapees, and really shook up the chasing bunch who expected the final stage to be dominated by the sprinters teams.

Dowsett was chasing the final points in the Sprinters competition but he was pulled back and so had to settle for second overall in that competition but still held onto his eighth place overall, finishing the nearly 1,400km race just 54 seconds behind overall winner, Dutch rider Dylan van Baarle (Garmin-Sharp).

Dowestt said: “As I whole I can take confidence from the Tour of Britain into future stage races and know that I can hold my own now.

“I think I have turned a corner, in training, form and racing.”

Dowsett is now targeting this weekend’s road World Championships in northern Spain.

He was still waiting to hear on Tuesday if he had been selected by Team Movistar for this Sunday’s team time trial championship before hopefully pulling on Team GB colours for the individual time trial.

Dowsett said: “I am hoping to get the selection for the team time trial, Movistar have a very strong team.

“And in the individual time-trial it will be very much like the Commonwealth Games and I am going to give it everything if selected.”