SIR Bradley Wiggins may not be touring in France this summer but their loss is Abergavenny's gain because the two-wheeled knight of the realm will be having it large on the roads of Monmouthshire when he leads a world-class field in the British Cycling National Road Championships. And the Olympic Gold winning cyclist and Tour de France winner who put the 'Rad' in Brad won't be the only lycra-clad A-lister to be pounding the streets of our fair county later this month. Former world champion and Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish will be all pumped up and determined to defend the crown he claimed in Glasgow last year. The 'Manx Missile' will no doubt be going nuclear as he pits his wits against a field of cycling titans. Make no mistake ladies and gents, it's going to be brutal. In fact it's going to be akin to trench warfare. Alongside Wiggins and Cavendish, the riders contesting for the right to dominate Monmouthshire's highways and byways, include seven gold medalists from the 2012 London Olympic Games, a quadruple Paralympic gold medalist, three Tour de France riders plus many world and European champions. The field is, according to Championships organiser Bill Owen 'arguably the biggest and best ever seen in the UK.'

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