Last year’s women’s road race proved to be an enthralling affair as Marianne Vos (Netherlands) and Lizzie Armitstead (Great Britain) ignited the race, only for Pauline Ferrand-Prevot (FRA) to claim victory.

While Vos continues her fight to recover from injury – which has wrecked her entire season – Armitstead arrives in top form and with plenty of ambition to make amends for last year.

The Women’s Road World Cup champion has enjoyed another great year and bounced back well from the horror-crash that marred her Tour of Britain stage one victory.

Victory at the GP de Plouay-Bretagne confirmed Armitstead’s overall World Cup title and proved her form at the end of August. The Classics-like course is one on which she should have little to fear either – cobbles and short, punchy climbs are littered across the 16.2km circuit, which the women tackle eight times.

Defending champion Ferrand-Prevot, who also holds world titles in cyclo-cross and downhill mountain bike, won’t be content to hand Armitstead the title quite so easily though. And both women will face stiff competition from in-form La Course and Giro d’Italia Feminile winner Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands).

If the cobbles prove crucial, then Belgian champion Jolien d’Hoore will be one to watch, while her Wiggle-Honda team-mates Giorgia Bronzini and Elisa Longo Borghini (Italy) come as a strong two-pronged Italian attack.