Mark Cavendish is spearheading a strong Isle of Man contingent in this week’s HSBC UK National Road Championships.

The Manx Missile has joined up with a plethora of the island’s leading cyclists in Lincoln for the 2021 edition of the event which started today (Thursday) and continues until Sunday.

The time trials get proceedings underway later today, with Anna Christian and Becky Storrie flying the Manx flag in the women’s event and Max Walker doing likewise in the under-23s men TT, all over two laps around the historic city totalling 29.4km.

Incorporated into the championships for the first time, both the men’s nd women’s circuit races take place on Friday evening and have attracted strong fields.

Again the island will be well represented, with Matty Bostock, brothers Leon and Tom Mazzone and Walker all competing in the men’s race and Amelia Sharpe in the women’s.

Both will be contested over one hour plus five laps of a 1km route around the city’s historic 11th century castle, with the floodlit circuit passing through the cobbled Castle Square between Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln Castle.

The blue riband events of the championships take place on Sunday. Utilising the same route as the prestigious Lincoln Grand Prix, the Isle of Man has enjoyed success on this course in the past, most notably when Peter Kennaugh won the Lincoln GP in 2013.

Taking in the iconic, cobbled Michaelgate climb once every eight miles, the men’s race will be contested over 166km (13 laps) and the women’s race over 101km (eight laps).

Christian, Sharpe and Storrie will all fly the flag in the women’s race, while Cav, Onchan resident Ben Swift, Bocky, Mark Christian, the Mazzone brothers and Sam Brand will all tackle the men’s event, as will Chris Lawless who is the partner of Emma Kennaugh and rides regularly on Manx soil.