LIZZIE Armitstead will look to put the horror of the crash she suffered at the Aviva Women's Tour behind her as she battles to regain her title at the 2015 British National Road Race Championships in Lincolnshire today.
Armitstead, winner of the British title two years ago over the Glasgow course where she became Commonwealth Games champion last summer, lost out to Laura Trott in 2014.
The 26-year-old Olympic silver medallist has made no secret of her desire to reclaim the British stripes, but her ambitions were dealt a serious setback 10 days ago.
Armitstead, victor on the opening stage of the Aviva Women's Tour in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, crashed only metres after crossing the line. She appeared to lose her balance while celebrating the win and veered across the course to collide with a group of photographers.
The Boels-Dolmans rider, who sustained severe bruising to one leg, a sprained wrist and a hefty blow to the head, was airlifted to hospital and withdrew from the remainder of the race.
The tenacious Trott (Matrix Fitness, pictured) won't give up her crown without a fight, with other favourites among the women's field including 11-time Paralympic champion Dame Sarah Storey (Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International), who is in blistering form with two para-cycling world titles on the track and a solo win at the Cheshire Classic Women's Road Series already this season. Storey's team-mates, Scot Katie Archibald and Welsh rider Ciara Horne, are also in the line-up, as are last year's silver medallist, Dani King (Wiggle-Honda), and Hannah Barnes (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling), who showed her mettle at the Aviva Women's Tour by taking the best British and young rider jerseys.
Trott's Matrix Fitness team-mate Elinor Barker and 2012 British road race champion Sharon Laws (Bigla Pro Cycling), both of whom looked strong at the Aviva Women's Tour, should also be in the mix.
Archibald, Barker, Barnes and Liv Plantur's Lucy Garner will be among a strong field chasing the women's Under-23 title.
Defending champion Peter Kennaugh (Team Sky) goes into the men's race in excellent form after a stellar outing in the Critérium du Dauphiné this month, where the 26-year-old Manx rider took the opening stage. Bolstering Kennaugh's chances of claiming back-to-back titles is the absence of Sky team-mates Ben Swift, out through injury, and Geraint Thomas, the reigning Commonwealth road race champion, who is a late withdrawal.
It will be far from a stroll in the park, however, with Mark Cavendish (Etixx-QuickStep), who won the British title in Glasgow two years ago, and Simon Yates (Orica-GreenEdge), the bronze medallist in 2014, also on the start list. The firepower of Kennaugh's Sky stablemates Ian Stannard, the 2012 British road race champion, and Luke Rowe shouldn't be underestimated either. Tao Geoghegan Hart, who took bronze in the men's Under-23 time trial on Thursday, is among the contenders for the men's Under-23 road race title. London-born Geoghegan Hart, whose father hails from just outside Edinburgh, could represent Scotland at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Among the Scots in action will be Andy Fenn (Team Sky), Mark Stewart (100% ME), Iain Paton (Team Wiggins), Jack Pullar (Velosure Starley Primal), Evan Oliphant (Raleigh GAC), Charline Joiner (Team WNT), Anna Turvey (Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International), Lucy Coldwell and Claire Thomas (both unattached).
Eileen Roe (Wiggle-Honda), who suffered a broken knuckle in a crash in Belgium a fortnight ago, won't be on the start line.
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