British Cycling announces UCI Road Worlds squads

British Cycling has today announced its long list for the UCI Road World Championships, which take place in Tuscany later this month, with Chris Froome heading the Men’s Road Race line-up, Sir Bradley Wiggins and Alex Dowsett racing in the Men's Time Trial, and Emma Pooley a surprise call-up to the women’s squad, including being Great Britain’s sole representative in the Women's Time Trial.

Lucy Garner, winner of the Junior Women’s Road Race title for the past two years, steps up to the senior squad, while twin brothers Simon and Adam Yates, who both enjoyed success at the Tour de l’Avenir last month - Simon won two stages, while Adam was second overall - are in the squad for the Under-23 Men’s Road Race.

When he won the Tour de France in July, Sky’s Chris Froome said he would target the World Championship Road Race, in which the closing circuit features a tough climb to Fiesole above Florence, as well as a smaller climb of Via Salviati.

Whoever makes the final selection, he will be supported by a strong Great Britain line-up, although missing from the long list today is Garmin-Sharp’s David Millar, who acted as road captain when Mark Cavendish won the rainbow jersey in Copenhagen in 2011, and again in the Olympic Road Race in London last year.

Wiggins, meanwhile, is looking to rescue his 2013 season by adding the World Time Trial Championship to the Olympic title he won in London last year. he's joined by Dowsett, who in the colours of Movistar was a surprise winner of an individual time trial in May's Giro d'Italia.

In the Women’s Road Race, Pooley – the 2010 World Time Trial champion who has put top-level racing on hold to focus on completing her PhD – and Garner will be joined by riders including Lizzie Armitstead, winner of a silver medal behind Marianne Vos of the Netherlands at London 2012.

British Cycling Performance Manager Shane Sutton commented: “I think the selection of the elite teams speak for themselves, we’ve got Olympic medallists, Tour de France winners and former World Champions all in the mix and I think we could do well across the board there.

“The Yates brothers have put some really impressive rides in on the road this season so I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do, and we should be well represented in the Junior events as well.”

The UCI Road World Championships take place in Tuscany from 22-29 September. You can find full information on the official website.

British Cycling says that it will confirm final line-ups “in due course.”

Here are the squads announced today:

Men’s Elite Road Race – 8 places qualified, 11 riders named

Mark Cavendish
Steve Cummings
Alex Dowsett
Josh Edmondson
Andy Fenn
Chris Froome
Luke Rowe
Ian Stannard
Geraint Thomas
Jon Tiernan Locke
Bradley Wiggins

Men’s Elite Time Trial

Alex Dowsett
Sir Bradley Wiggins

Women’s Elite Road Race – 6 places qualified, 6 riders named

Lizzie Armitstead
Katie Colclough
Nikki Harris
Lucy Garner
Sharon Laws
Emma Pooley

Women’s Elite Time Trial

Emma Pooley

U23 Men’s Road Race – 6 places qualified, 8 riders named

Jon Dibben
Owain Doull
Tom Moses
Joe Perrett
Alex Peters
Alistair Slater
Adam Yates
Simon Yates

U23 Men’s Time Trial

Joe Perrett

Junior Men’s Road Race

Scott Davies
Tao Geoghegan Hart
Matt Gibson
James Knox

Junior Men’s Time Trial

Matt Gibson

Junior Women’s Road Race

Anna Christian
Bethany Hayward