Manxman Pete Kennaugh has form when it comes to the national road race, having claimed two under-23 titles as well as finishing on the podium four years in a row up to 2012. Last time out he was fourth, having only been dropped from the leading group in the closing kilometres, and is determined to finally top the elite podium. Kennaugh, like Wiggins and Thomas, is another who could benefit from Team Sky’s strong line-up for the race – indeed, the three were the ones who contested the race in 2011.

Though illness has hampered his form in recent months, Kennaugh was in good form earlier in the season as he won the Coppi e Bartali. Viewed as a future world champion, according to Rod Ellingworth, a national road race title could be the first big step towards achieving such a goal. If Kennaugh can recapture his best form, he will certainly be among the lead contenders in Abergavenny, as he proved so often before at the national road race.