All eyes will be on one of the greatest female cyclists ever when the women's road race kicks off today.

Marianne Vos has done all there is to do in the sport and she arrives in Scotland aiming to defend her European title on Glasgow’s roads.

The road races were a resounding success at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and today’s route promises to produce an equally exciting battle.

Setting off at Glasgow’s Riverside Museum today, the women will complete nine laps of a 14.4km course which weaves out of the city, into East Dunbartonshire and back into Glasgow’s city centre to finish on Glasgow Green.

A particularly good vantage point is Montrose Street in the city centre, which is a brutal climb that was close to breaking more than a few riders at Glasgow 2014.

Vos will have stiff competition if she is to win her fourth European Championship road race title though with both the silver and bronze medallists from last year, Giorgia Bronzini from Italy and Olga Zabelinskya from Russia, aiming to dethrone the Dutchwoman.

From a British perspective, an eight-strong team has been named, although no Scots will be donning the GB skinsuit on home soil.

Lizzie Deignan, who won gold on these roads at Glasgow 2014 and who is also a former world champion is missing due to the impending birth of her first child but nevertheless, there is no shortage of quality in the British team.

Included are Dani Rowe, who has most of her success on the track winning world and Olympic gold but a change of focus to the road has already garnered silverware with the 27-year-old winning bronze at the Commonwealth Games in April.

Also on the start-line today for GB will be Alice Barnes, Lizzy Banks, Dani Christmas, Nikki Juniper, Abby Mae Parkinson and teenagers, Sophie Wright and Anna Henderson.