THE cycling stars are back in Monmouthshire this week, starting with Wednesday night’s Chepstow Grand Prix and leading into this weekend’s Abergavenny Festival of Cycling.

Tomorrow night’s race in Chepstow and Friday’s Wales Open Criterium in Abergavenny are both part of this summer's British Cycling Elite Circuit Series.

And Abergavenny also hosts the Motorpoint Grand Prix Series/Grand Prix of Wales stage on Sunday.

The British Cycling Elite Circuit Series was won last year by Newport’s Jon Mould and he is competing again this year for his new team JLT Condor.

The Chepstow Grand Prix circuit is the fourth round out of seven of this year’s competition.

Starting at 8.10pm, riders will take to the roads for an hour and face the tough assent from the start-finish line at the Castle Car Park, up Bridge Street before turning left and then right for another one hundred metres of climbing at the top of the course.

The race proved excellent last summer and put Chepstow truly on the cycling map – and this year is certain to be even better as the competition to win the Elite Series title will be a fierce battle before the riders compete in Abergavenny just two days later.

The one to watch in Chepstow is undoubtedly Mould’s JLT Condor teammate Chris Lawless.

With two wins from the opening four rounds of the 2016 Elite Circuit Series, Lawless will be keen to continue his good form.

The Raleigh GAC pair of Sebastien Mora Vedri and Albert Torres finished just behind Lawless in Beverley, with Vedri searching for his first win of the series.

Madison Genesis rider Felix English has also started the 2016 competition well and currently leads the series standings.

After Abergavenny on Friday night the series moves on to Sheffield on July 20 and concludes in Colne on July 26.

There will also be youth races in Chepstow from 5.30pm tomorrow and in Abergavenny from 5.30pm on Friday.

Saturday sees the Iron Mountain Sportif with four different sportive rides ranging from a leisure ride to a 100-mile test starting at 9am.

Sunday’s 113-mile Grand Prix of Wales sets off at 11am, with the Para GP of Wales following at 11.15am.