Crowned queen of the mountains at the Women’s Tour, 2012 champion Sharon Laws (UnitedHealthCare) could benefit from the lumpy course awaiting in Abergavenny. An undulating circuit means if she is able to earn a gap, Laws has the ability to stay clear – particularly with team-mate Hannah Barnes, the national criterium champion, among those expected to be in the leading group.

The 39-year-old, who joined UnitedHealthCare from Lotto-Belisol Ladies for this season, has also enjoyed moderate success in North America in 2014 – three top four places in the one-day races, before finishing seventh overall in March’s Vuelta a El Salvador. Since the women’s tour, meanwhile, Laws most recent UCI race saw her finish eighth in the Philadelphia Cycling Classic. She has proved before she is capable of upsetting the odds in the national championships, and will certainly be a rider to keep an eye on in Abergavenny.