Britton 2nd overall in MERCO Classic after ITT

Rob Britton of Victoria, B.C., sits in second place overall at the MERCO Cycling Classic in Merced, Calif., after Friday’s 19-km time trial.

Britton, who won Thursday’s opening stage, clocked the seventh-fastest time, 32 seconds slower than stage winner and Bissell Pro Cycling teammate Jeremy Vennell. Another Bissell rider — Ben Jacques Maynes — took the overall lead, eight seconds ahead of Britton.

In fact, Bissell is dominating the competition in Merced, taking the top four spots in the time trial and occupying eight of the nine top spot in the overall standings.

On Saturday the riders face a 50-km downtown criterium before Sunday’s 200-km road race on a rolling 40-km circuit.