A BRITISH athlete has triumphed in the race to the top of Europe’s highest road.

Lee Grantham conquered the 50 kilometre Pico Veleta route in the Sierra Nevada in an impressive three hours, 45 minutes and 54 seconds, which beat the previous record holder Francisco Jimenez Parejo’s time by almost five minutes.

Grantham started strongly from the beginning point of Granada and lead the race until last year’s winner, Cristóbal Ortigosa, caught up with him at the 27th kilometre.

However he regained the lead at Hoya de la Mora, the 39th kilometre.

Grantham expressed his awe at the route, which he has now completed four times: “This race is spectacular. I don’t think there is another equal in the world.”

At 3,390m high, it’s Europe’s highest and longest paved road and stretches across the mountains from Granada to the western Alpujarras.