The 2017 HSBC UK | National Road Championships conclude on Sunday 25 June with the road races on the Isle of Man.
The prestigious national champions' jerseys will be up for grabs, with elite men’s and women’s titles to be decided, as well as under-23 honours.
Racing begins at 9am on Sunday with the women’s race - with the men set to start at 1.45pm.
Women’s road race
In the women’s race, 2015 world champion Lizzie Deignan will start as the race favourite but will face a major challenge from the Barnes sisters, Hannah and Alice.
Deignan, chasing a fourth national road title, already has a major win on British roads in 2017 under her belt having taken the Women’s Tour of Yorkshire victory in April but the Boels Dolmans rider will be wary of the threat posed by her rivals.
Hannah Barnes (Canyon - SRM) beat sister Alice (Drops) in a thrilling finish to the 2016 championships to claim her first British title, with Alice settling for second place and the under-23 title for the second consecutive year.
Both sisters rode consistently well in the OVO Energy Women’s Tour earlier this month, swapping the Best British Rider jersey between them across the racing week, with Hannah taking the title and third place overall in the general classification.
A number of Great Britain’s recent Olympic and Paralympic heroes will be in action, with 2016 team pursuit gold medallists Elinor Barker (Matrix Pro Cycling) and Katie Archibald (Team WNT) going head-to-head on the road - with Archibald in good form following her win at the CiCLE Classic in this season's HSBC UK | National Women's Road Series.
Paralympic individual pursuit gold medal winning pilot Corrine Hall (Matrix Pro Cycling) and 2016 silver and bronze Rio medallist Crystal Lane-Wright (Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire) will also be fan favourites in the peloton as will 2012 Olympic team pursuit gold medallist Dani King (Cylance Pro Cycling) and 2016 Olympic road race domestique Nikki Brammeier (Boels Dolmans Cycling Team).
Local interests will be represented by Anna Christian (Drops) while early HSBC UK | National Women’s Road Series leader Chanel Mason (Storey Racing) will look to continue her terrific 2017 form.
Nikki Juniper (Team Ford Ecoboost) is back on the road following a broken collarbone earlier this season and the reigning HSBC UK | National Women’s Road Series champion will be keen to make up for lost time by claiming her first national road race title.
Alice Barnes could make it three under-23 titles in a row on the Isle of Man, but will face tough competition for her crown.
Her main challenge could come from within her own team, with Christian and Annasley Park eligible for under-23 honours.
Team Breeze have named a seven-strong squad for the HSBC UK | National Road Championships, with the likes of Mel Lowther and Emily Nelson among the favourites, while Emily Kay (Team WNT) and Grace Garner (Wiggle High5) will also pose a threat.
Men’s road race
A first-time British road race champion on the streets of Stockton-on-Tees in 2016, Adam Blythe will attempt to defend his title on the Isle of Man.
Now representing Aqua Blue Sport, Blythe will lock horns once again with Mark Cavendish, the man who he beat in a sprint finish to claim the title 12 months ago.
For Cavendish, the HSBC UK | National Road Championships provide a unique opportunity for him to claim a national champion’s jersey on home soil.
The proud Manxman will have the support of virtually the entire island and the Dimension Data rider would relish the chance to win his second national road race title as he continues to make his recovery from a bout of illness.
But Cavendish is not the only local rider hoping for a home win. Peter Kennaugh (Team Sky) is another Manxman keen to take the title knowing a win would also write him into the record books as the first ever three-time winner of the road race.
Kennaugh’s chances of success could be boosted by a formidable Team Sky lineup, with Jonathan Dibben, Owain Doull, Ian Standard and 2016 under-23 men’s winner Tao Geoghegan Hart set for the Isle of Man - although they will all have their eyes on the win themselves.
A number of riders with domestic success under their belts already this season will also pose a threat.
Chris Latham (Team Wiggins) and Ian Bibby (JLT Condor) were both winners of individual races in the HSBC UK | Spring Cup Series and will be joined in the road race by other talented riders, including Andrew Fenn (Aqua Blue Sport), Erick Rowsell (Madison Genesis) and Ben Swift (UAE Abu Dhabi).
In the race for the under-23 title, Gabriel Cullaigh (SEG Racing Academy), Chris Lawless (Axeon Hagens Berman CT), Mark Stewart (An Post - Chain Reaction) and the 100% ME quartet of Angus Claxton, Adam Hartley, Jacob Hennessy and Reece Wood are all capable of mounting a challenge.
The course
The road races start on Quarter Bridge Road in Douglas before heading onto the main circuit across the A1 through Crosby and towards Ballig. The route then heads north via the A3 towards Kirk Michael before moving east through Sulby towards Ramsey and the start of a significant climb.
The route then heads south along the A18 before returning to Douglas. The men will do two laps of this circuit with the women taking in one lap of the island before the race moves to the finish circuit.
This section heads north up Ballanard Road before heading east towards Cronk-Ny-Mona, heading back to the finish on Quarter Bridge Road via Signpost Corner and Governor’s Dip. The women will do six laps of the finish circuit while the men will do 10.
Schedule
9am: Women’s road race starts
1.45pm: Men’s road race starts
How to follow
• Follow the action with updates and images in our live blog from 8.45am on Sunday.
• Follow @BritishCycling on Twitter for updates, images and videos.
• Highlights to be broadcast on Monday 26 June on ITV4 at 6pm and on Eurosport 1 at 10pm.
