Great Britain confirm squad for cycling world road race championships

Great Britain's Tour de France stars Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome will assist Mark Cavendish in the defence of his title in next week's world road race championships in Limburg, but the coach who masterminded last year's triumph, Rod Ellingworth, says it is unlikely that the world champion will retain the rainbow jersey on the hilly Netherlands circuit. "We are not thinking of getting a big result, but the guys will all have a job to do," Ellingworth said. "For Cav it may well be a job earlier in the race for the team, to just get stuck in." The team will be a mix of experience and youth, with Cavendish, Wiggins and Froome joined by Luke Rowe, Alex Dowsett, Ian Stannard, Ben Swift, Steve Cummings and the climber Jonathan Tiernan-Locke. After last year's victory, which was several years in the making, Ellingworth is beginning to set his sights on a possible world championships on home soil in the near future, the road worlds being one of a number of events for which British Cycling is bidding. "There's no reason why Britain wouldn't have the worlds and if we do it will be on a lumpy course like this one, so this year is about getting the lads thinking about the process," Ellingworth said. This year's hilly course, with an uphill finish on the top of the Cauberg climb, is typical of world championship courses, and Ellingworth feels that as well as giving future prospects such as Rowe, Stannard, Swift and Tiernan-Locke experience it could also suit Wiggins or Froome if either of the Tour stars feels it could be his day. "I believe Brad could finish in the top 10 on this course with his best form and the right frame of mind, and if Froomie says he is up for it we will go for the best result possible, whatever that looks like. The whole priority this year for us and the riders was the Olympic Games. It was such a big hit for everyone that it's a huge ask to expect the senior guys to come here and be competitive again." The women's road race team is led by the Olympic silver medallist Lizzie Armitstead, and includes the 2008 Olympic champion and world road race champion Nicole Cooke, as well as the in-form Emma Pooley, who recently dominated the women's Tour de l'Ardèche. Pooley has said she may take a year out after the world championships. She is joined in the time trial by Wendy Houvenaghel, who has a point to make after she narrowly missed out on a place in the women's team pursuit at the London Olympics. Elite men road race team Mark Cavendish Steve Cummings Alex Dowsett Chris Froome Luke Rowe Ian Stannard Ben Swift Jonathan Tiernan-Locke Bradley Wiggins Elite men time trial Alex Dowsett Chris Froome Elite women road race Lizzie Armitstead Katie Colclough Nicole Cooke Nikki Harris Sharon Laws Emma Pooley Elite women time trial Wendy Houvenaghel Emma Pooley Under-23 men road race Josh Edmondson Scott Thwaites Simon Yates Under-23 men time trial Sam Harrison Joe Perret Junior men road race Germain Burton Jon Dibben Tao Geoghegan-Hart Chris Lawless Alex Peters Will Stephenson Junior men time trial Jon Dibben Tao Geoghegan-Hart Junior women road race Elinor Barker Lucy Garner Emily Kay Jessie Walker Molly Weaver Junior women time trial Elinor Barker