THREE of the big names that are set to ride in Abergavenny's National Road Race Championships hit top form over the weekend.

Mark Cavendish, who is due to link with other prospective Great Britain team riders for their first get-together at the Abergavenny Festival of Cycling, became the first Brit to wear the Giro d'Italia's pink leader's jersey when he took the opening stage on Saturday.

Cavendish, who won four stages of last year's Tour de France and is domestic racing's hottest property, crossed the line for his Colombia team in the opening 20.5 km Time Trial around the streets of Venice in 21 minutes 50 seconds.

And he retained the overall lead on Sunday despite finishing second in a sprint finish behInd Italy's Alessandro Petacchi.

Another Brit due to ride in Abergavenny, Ben Swift, also part of the GB get-together party, came third behind Cavendish in the second stage.

Meanwhile, back in the UK, last year's double Abergavenny Festival of Cycling winner Russell Downing landed one of the biggest domestic crowns of the year by taking the Lincoln Grand Prix on Sunday in a sprint finish.

Downing won both the Get Connected! Criterium elite men's race and the Robert Price Grand Prix of Wales International Road Race in 2008. He also went on to win the season-long domestic Premier Calendar Series of top races around the UK.

Ian Wilkinson, of the Halfords BikeHut team, was second, with Olympian Chris Newton in third for Rapha Condor.

Women's Olympic and world champion Nicole Cooke is expected to defend her national title in Abergavenny on June 27 and continues the build-up to that by riding in her third World Cup competition of the year, the La Fleche Wallonne, in Belgium on Friday week.