OLYMPIC Games gold medallist Ed Clancy and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Jon Mould head a star-studded line-up for tomorrow's Wales Open Criterium around Abergavenny town centre, writes Gary Baker.

And they will be joined by multiple World Cup track golden man Andy Tennant and a host of other leading UK riders all seeking points in this year’s HSBC/British Cycling Elite Circuit Series.

The Abergavenny town centre race, which starts at 8pm and is preceded by Youth and Carnival races around the circuit, is round two of the national series.

Clancy, who is riding for the Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK team this year, won his gold medal in the 2012 London Olympic Games when in a Team Pursuit quartet that broke the world record, which included Wales’ Geraint Thomas, who famously won the Tour de France last year.

Meanwhile, Mould, from Newport, won the Elite Circuit Series in 2015 and went on to take silver in the Commonwealth Games road race on the Gold Coast, Australia, last year.

And the Madison Genesis team 28-year-old will be supported by a formidable seven other team-mates, all pushing the Welshman towards victory on a circuit where he has done well in the past.

That included finishing second in last year’s Abergavenny race behind ex-national road race champion Connor Swift, who is abroad this year and will miss the return against the Welshman.

Crits favourite Graham Briggs, who is always up among the pack in the Wales Open Criterium each year, is making another return to Abergavenny.

The 35-year-old from Doncaster enjoys cycling in Wales that much that he has won the Abergavenny race three times, and also added the Chepstow Grand Prix title to his roll of honour in 2015.

Abergavenny Festival of Cycling organiser Bill Owen MBE said this year’s Wales Open Criterium had all the potential to be another cracking race.

He said: “Having Ed Clancy and Jon Mould going head-to-head will be one thing, but you cannot rule out people like Graham Briggs and many more of the domestic team riders who will make Friday night a real cracker.

“As usual, the youngsters will warm-up the crowd from early evening before the Traders Cardiac Race will see the town’s businesses dressing up for a bit of fun.

“The Wales Open Criteriums are always a fantastic evening and, after the Iron Mountain Sportif last Saturday and a superb Cwmtillery Glass Junior Grand Prix of Wales last Sunday, at Grosmont, this is going to be a tremendous way to round-off this year’s Festival of Cycling.”

For more information about the Abergavenny Festival of Cycling and tomorrow's Wales Open Criterium extravaganza, go to www.abergavennyfestivalofcycling.co.uk