Mark Cavendish heads Glasgow road race field

FORMER world champion Mark Cavendish and Olympic silver medallist Lizzie Armitstead will lead a world class field at next week’s British National Road Race Championships in Glasgow and Ayrshire.

Cavendish, the 23-time Tour de France stage winner and 2011 road world champion, lines up for the men’s road race against a strong Team Sky squad featuring defending champion Ian Stannard, last year’s Tour of Britain winner Jon Tiernan-Locke and Olympic team pursuit champion Peter Kennaugh.

Scotland’s David Millar (Garmin-Sharp) and Steve Cummings (BMC Racing Team) will also be looking to challenge for the podium.

In the women’s road race, Armitstead will be bidding to reclaim the title she won in 2011. However, she will face stiff competition from defending champion Sharon Laws, in-form Hannah Barnes and last year’s under-23 champion Katie Colclough.

The time trial will take place on Thursday, 20 June with the road race on Sunday, 23 June.

Wiggle Honda’s Olympic team pursuit champions Laura Trott, Joanna Rowsell and Dani King will take part in both the road race and the time trial, while junior time trial world champion Elinor Barker will compete in her first elite-level national time trial championships. Former champion and silver medallist for the past three years, Julia Shaw, is also likely to be a contender as she looks to get her hands back on the title she won in 2005.

In the men’s time trial, defending champion Alex Dowsett starts as one of the favourites after claiming his first Grand Tour stage win with victory in the Giro d’Italia time trial last month. However the Movistar rider will face a strong challenge from 2011 silver medallist Cummings along with the likes of Andrew Tennant and Matthew Bottrill.

The time trial will take place in Stewarton, East Ayrshire, with the women’s race covering two laps of a 17km course while the men will race two laps of a 24km course. The road race will start and finish at Glasgow Green, with the city centre course featuring elements of the proposed route for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Highlights of the championships will be broadcast on ITV4 on Monday, 24 June at 7pm.

• For the full start list and further information about the event go to www.nationalroadchamps.co.uk.