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Mark Cavendish heads strong men's field at road nationals in Glasgow next week

Host of big-name riders in both men's and women's races for event a week on Sunday...

Former world champion Mark Cavendish heads a field packed with star names that will take to the streets of Glasgow a week on Sunday to contest the British national road championship, while Olympic silver medallist Lizzie Armitstead will be aiming to take back the title she won in 2011.

Team Sky have dominated the championships for the past three years, with Geraint Thomas, Bradley Wiggins and Ian Stannard all winning the right to wear the British champions’ jersey.

So far, that’s a prize that has eluded Cavendish, now with Omega Pharma-Quick Step, on the rare occasions he’s contested the race, but he looks like the man to beat in Glasgow – the profile of the 14-kilometre course above exaggerates the climbs, with a maximum elevation of around 50 metres. 

Instead, it’s all those corners that are likely to cause problems during the 13 laps of the men’s race and eight laps of the women’s one.

Sky will be here in strength, but other WorldTour team riders looking to end their dominance include Steve Cummings of BMC Racing and Scots Andy Fenn of Omega Pharma-Quick Step and David Millar of Garmin Sharp.

NetApp-Endura’s Russell Downing, champion in 2005, will also take to the start at Glasgow Green, as will the last non-Sky rider to win, Rapha-Condor-JLT’s Kristian House who together with team mate Ed Clancy spearheads a strong domestic challenge.

In the women’s race, Armitstead will face competition to recapture her title from riders including defending champion Sharon Laws, recovered from injury, plus an in-form Hannah Barnes and a Wiggle-Honda line-up that includes Olympic team pursuit champions Laura Trott, Joanna Rowsell and Dani King.

That trio will also be riding in the time trial, which takes place a week today on Thursday 20 June in East Ayrshire, the first time it has been held to coincide with the road nationals. In the men’s version, Alex Dowsett, winner of an individual time trial in last month’s Giro d’Italia, will be going for his third national title in a row.

Highlights of the event will be broadcast on ITV4 on Monday 24 June at 19.00 and further information, including full entry lists, is available on the event website.
 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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14 comments

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davecochrane | 10 years ago
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If they can make it down Saltmarket without running any junkies over it's going to be a miracle...and some of the course is really pretty tight. Prettttttyy, prettty tight.

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Al__S | 10 years ago
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how much team support o the ProTeam riders bring with them? Clearly for just one or two riders there's not going to be the full coach, truck and three team cars.

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edwardbmason | 10 years ago
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Don't forget Bath Uni/road.cc -er Liam will be gunning it for Wheelbase too!

Clearly our Uni CC development programme* is working well...

*not a real thing. Unless he wins. In which case, I devised the whole programme myself.

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McTag | 10 years ago
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Will this be televised?

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Al__S replied to McTag | 10 years ago
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ITV4 are showing highlights on the Monday evening.

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paulfg42 | 10 years ago
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Didn't know this was on. Going up to see my parents but train leaves Glasgow on the Sunday at 8.30am. Doh!

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NeilG83 | 10 years ago
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I wouldn't be surprised if Millar and Dowsett work with Fenn to help Cav as they are good friends. I hope Cavendish can win as it may be one of the few chances of being British Champion that he'll get.

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oakgreeng60 | 10 years ago
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Remember this is basically a test event for next years commie games.Which is probably why the likes of Cav and Millar are taking part.
It's certainly no crit,very technical course a bit like the opening stage of the Giro,but probably with rain  39 Have'nt seen the run in to the finish,but my money would be on Cav.

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Al__S | 10 years ago
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It'll be interesting to see how Cavendish fares, he's only got one team mate with him (the only other brit at OPQS). Going to take a fair bit to beat the Sky boys with their six top class riders.

Millar's even more isolated- no team mates, as no-one else on his team is British.

What are the rules on outright collusion between "small" teams? There's also the pair from BMC and Dowsett from Movistar. Might the World Tour team riders gang up on Sky?

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Sam1 replied to Al__S | 10 years ago
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There are no rules - happens all the time during the course of a race, anyway, if several teams have the same goals for how the race developes.

I reckon Millar and Dowsett will work for Cav. They're all good mates, and Millar and Dowsett are hardly specialists in this type of course, plus have none of their own team mates.

Not sure about Cummings and Blythe - Blythe might acually do very well on this course. For this reason I dont think all 6 will collaborate against Sky. But maybe 4 of them.

Sky will ride for Kennaugh, I'm sure. I reckon that's why he rode Lincoln, to sharpen up on a crit-like race.

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euanlindsay | 10 years ago
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Looks like a criterium, will be raced nothing like a criterium.

Its road racing Jimmy but not as we know it. Imagine allowed people to actually come out and watch some racing, families especially and having them watch the action over and over again.

The course may only reach 50m elevation but there is over 200m of climbing every lap and any hills may be short but they are very punchy.

Regardless of the course one of the Sky boys will still win no matter how much of a criterium the course may appear to be.

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Simon_MacMichael | 10 years ago
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Long course for a crit...  3

Cheers netclectic, fixed that... we're all for equality between men's and women's cycling but that might be taking it a bit far...

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netclectic | 10 years ago
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"eight laps of the men’s race and 13 laps of the women’s one"

if think you've got that the wrong way round  39

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Raleigh | 10 years ago
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Looks like the national criterium champs...

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