Alex Dowsett and Bradley Wiggins are set to go head to head in Wales later this week in the British Time Trial Championships. However, there will also be stiff competition from Geraint Thomas, Luke Rowe, Ben Swift and David Millar.

“Having Wiggins as my two-minute man is a bit surreal. It’s not going to be a walk in the park that’s for sure,” Dowsett told Cycling Weekly.

“I think the field is a lot more competitive. Last year I had Swift, [Luke] Rowe and Bottrill and I think the fact it was all the way up in Glasgow put a lot of people off. The year before my two, four and six-minute men didn’t turn up so that was one of the easiest races I’ve ever won."

“I don’t think Geraint will miss an opportunity to race in Wales and Wiggins, I think it just falls in line with what he’s got planned this year,” he added of the bolstered field in what is a Commonwealth Games year.

“I’m not in the slightest way confident but I don’t think you have to be in a time trial. I’m confident I’ll go out and do the best ride I can possibly do. What you can’t control is how quick everyone else goes so I’m hoping that whatever I do will be good enough.”

Dowsett has occasionally struggled to best Wiggins, like at last year’s Tour of Britian, but when he does it is almost always spectacular, like in the 2013 Giro d’Italia, where Dowsett won the TT on his Grand Tour debut.

He has been consistent this year, finishing fifth in the Volta ao Algarve TT, sixth in Tirreno Adriatico and he won the Circuit de la Sarthe TT.

However, despite being reigning TT champ, the man from Essex has admitted he does not know much about the Monmouthshire course.

“I’ve seen information on it and what not. It’s not a time triallists time trial necessarily – it’s quite technical,” he said. “I think Geraint could be a real threat in something like that. We’ll see. I’m not planning on giving up the jersey any time soon.”

This has all of the makings of a classic battle that could live long in the memory of British fans.