LDN 2012: Wiggins: Now it's Cavendish's turn

Thank you to our friends at Team GB and the Press Association for the post and photo. Good luck to all involved in the opening ceremony and those who are preparing to compete. Well done to the football women and men, who have already started the games.

Good luck Team GB, we're all behind you.

Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins is ready to pass the leadership mantle on to Mark Cavendish as Great Britain go for road race gold on Saturday's opening day of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Cavendish is among the favourites to win the 250-kilometre road race, which features nine ascents of Surrey's Box Hill and finishes on The Mall, and will have Wiggins riding at full throttle in a bid to help the Manxman triumph.

Wiggins, who on Sunday became the first Briton to win the Tour's yellow jersey, said: "This is what Cav has been living for for most of the year. He's looking as fit as I've ever seen him on the bike and we're approaching the thing he's been thinking about since he won the world title.

"In our minds there's no doubt that he's going to be there in the final. He's been there for me the last month and now he can sense that it's his turn and we're all there for him."

Cavendish won three Tour stages, including Sunday's final stage on the Champs-Elysees, Wiggins won two, Chris Froome and David Millar won a stage apiece, while Ian Stannard missed the Tour, but is the British champion. Froome finished second overall behind Wiggins.

All five were members of the nine-man team in Copenhagen last September when Cavendish won the world title.

"It's probably the strongest Great Britain Olympic team on the road that has ever been assembled," Wiggins said. "We're all quite humble about our achievements, but externally we must look an incredible dominant force.

"I think people know what we're up to, what we're going to do. It's no secret Cav wants to win it. He's got four incredible guys to help him do that. We've got the fastest man in the world and I guess it's for other people to combat that."

Cavendish has not even considered the prospect of victory and will race again on Sunday in a lucrative criterium race.

"I don't ever really celebrate anything, I just set the next target," he said. "I'm racing on Sunday in Belgium, Monday in Pau, Tuesday in Holland. It's my day job. That's what professional cycling is. It's entertainment."

Copyright © Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved