• Cycling World Championships

Cavendish's support duo named

ESPN staff
August 27, 2010
Mark Cavendish is aiming for world glory after his impressive sprints in the Tour de France © Getty Images
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Mark Cavendish will be assisted in his bid to win the International Cycling Union World Championships road race by fellow Brits Geraint Thomas and Jeremy Hunt.

The trio will take to the start line on October 3 for the gruelling 262.7km road race between Melbourne and Geelong, with Cavendish hoping to become only the second Brit in history to win the event.

Should Cavendish, who has won an impressive 15 Tour de France stages in three seasons, be victorious, he will emulate Tommy Simpson - who claimed the world champion's white jersey in 1965.

But the odds are stacked against the 25-year-old after the UCL revealed that he would only be backed up by two riders - Thomas and Hunt - while some of his main rivals will enjoy the support of nine accomplices.

British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford said: "It's no surprise that we've built the men's road team around Mark this year, and both Mark and the coaching staff believe that, of the pool of talent we had to choose from, Geraint and Jeremy would provide the best support to Mark on this course."

David Millar will tackle the time trial, with Bradley Wiggins taking the widely expected decision not to compete in the World Championships. Olympic champion Nicole Cooke and Emma Pooley will lead the women's quest for glory.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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