British cycling’s biggest stars head to Ceredigion for National Road Championships

Some of the biggest names in British cycling are heading to Ceredigion this week for the return of the National Road Championships.

The region will host three days of racing as part of a landmark agreement between British Cycling and the Welsh Government to stage the event from 2025 to 2027.

The championships get under way with the time trial on Thursday, followed by the circuit race on Friday, before the road race brings the action to a close on Sunday.

The circuit race and road race championships will be held in Aberystwyth, while the time trial championship course is based in Lampeter.

Sixteen former elite national champions will be among the riders to watch when the event gets under way.

Ten coveted national champion's jerseys are up for grabs across the three days of competition.

The elite women, along with the under-23 women and under-23 men, will tackle two laps of the picturesque time trial circuit, covering 25.6km. The course starts near the University of Wales campus in Lampeter.

Meanwhile, the elite men's field will be tested over three laps for a total distance of 38.4km.

Racing begins with the under-23 men's event at 9am, followed by the elite women at 10.46am, the under-23 women at 1.50pm and the elite men at 2.50pm.

Among the riders to watch is 2024 Olympic silver medallist Anna Henderson, who lines up in the elite women's event.

Meanwhile, Ben Wiggins, son of eight-time Olympic medallist Sir Bradley Wiggins, will compete in the under-23 men's race.

A host of Welsh riders will also be in action, including Finlay Tarling, Rory Gravelle, Elynor Backstedt, Anna Morris and Lowri Richards.

Aberystwyth will then host both the circuit race on Friday and the road race on Sunday, giving fans the chance to watch Britain's top riders battle for national titles.