Pedal power duo to mix it with the elite

After all, it's not every weekend they get to test themselves against some of the best in the world.

But that is exactly what they will do when the British National road race championships takes place in Lincoln.

Tipper and Clarke are part of a 200-strong field also containing the likes of Mark Cavendish, Geraint Thomas and Wolverhampton's Andy Tennant, which will battle it out around a 126-mile course which takes in the surrounding countryside and the cathedral city's perilous cobbles.

Unsurprisingly, neither man can wait.

"I suppose it's similar to a footballer from the lower leagues going to play against someone in the Premier League," explained Kingswinford-based Tipper, 23, who is part of Neon-Velo Cycling's nine man squad.

"Of course, you are not really 'competing' against these guys because they are strong enough to ride away from the rest of the field.

"But it is great experience and you learn a lot.

"You see them at the start and they are like celebrities and the next thing you know, you are battling them to get on a wheel."

Both riders are products of Halesowen Cycling Club's road racing programme and have scored some notable successes on the domestic circuit this year.

Tipper won the West Midlands road race title, with Hagley-based Clarke finishing fourth. The latter also finished fifth in the Bowl Hill race around Buxton and hopes his strength on the climbs will come in handy around Sunday's course, which features gradients of up to 13 per cent.

"The city circuit is the same one used at the Lincoln Grand Prix and I finished second in that event," explained Clarke, who has progressed impressively since taking up cycling at the relatively late age of 15 and now races for Wheelbase Altura.

"On the climbs is where I feel the strongest and there is a good chance the race will break apart there."

Just a decade ago, British road racing's premier event would have registered barely a flicker on the nation's sporting conscious.

But the success of Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins and others, along with the sport's subsequent explosion in popularity have given it a greater standing than ever before.

Given the sheer quality of the field, victory for a semi-professional rider would be astonishing but Clarke and Tipper know a strong performance in such a high-profile event would add serious momentum to their ultimate quest of one day making it in the fully paid ranks.

"It is a shop window I suppose," admits Clarke. "Lots of people will be watching, it is a chance to impress."

In addition, the barriers broken down by Cavendish and Wiggins, both former national champions, has enabled a number of British riders to follow in their footsteps and Tipper hopes to tread the same path.

"A decade ago you have to be an incredible rider to have any chance of being picked up by a team on the continent," he said.

"Now it's different. If you are successful in Britain you will get your chance to go across.

"It's still hard but it is not impossible."