MONMOUTHSHIRE cemented its reputation as a top cycling county this week with events including the Chepstow Grand Prix and Grand Prix of Wales.

Last Wednesday (5th August) Chepstow town centre played host to the penultimate round of the British Cycling Elite Circuit Series and saw points leader Jon Mould tie up the competition with a round to go.

Welshman Mould, who races for the One Pro Cycling team, took to the start-line in the knowledge that his only mathematical challenger for the title, Dave McGowan, had withdrawn from the Chepstow event due to illness.

This meant that despite Mould’s retirement from the rain-soaked race, he still took the title at the Chepstow race.

Despite his championship winning form, few would have expected Mould to have challenged race winner Graham Briggs on Wednesday after his dominant victory.

Briggs, part of the JLT Condor squad, powered clear of the peloton from the off and took a powerful solo victory where no chase group got close to him.

With slippery conditions on the course, Briggs’ solo effort meant he didn’t have to contend with other riders around some of the course’s tight corners, or with the spray from other riders’ wheels – apart from when he was lapping the field.

Briggs’ dominated despite a field that featured some of the world’s top riders, including newly crowned Elite Circuit Series champion Mould, British National Circuit Race Champion Ian Bibby and Australian National Criterium Champion Steele Von Hoff, both of NFTO Pro Cycling.