Chris Boardman, having fully recovered from the illness that side-lined him from the Tour de France last month, will start his build-up for Sydney in the "Two-Up Time Trial" in Switzerland on Sunday with Jens Voigt, his Credit Agricole teammate. David Millar will join them for the Swiss test.

Their selection alongside six other riders completes the British cycling team across all disciplines of the sport, track, mountain and road.

Millar will be joined by Max Sciandri, Jeremy Hunt and John Tanner for the road race and by Boardman for the road time trial. Among women, Britain will be represented by Ceris Gilfillan, Yvonne McGregor, Sara Symington in the road race, while Gilfillan and McGregor will also contest the time trial.

Millar wore the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France this year ©Allsport

Sciandri, based in Italy, brings a wealth of continental experience to the team as a former stage winner in the Tour and the world cup round. Hunt, also based on the Continent, is a former National Road Race champion who this year beat Mario Cipollini - arguably the best sprinter in the world - for a stage victory in the Tour of Mediterranean.

John Tanner, from Yorkshire, has been the National Road champion for the past two years and hopes to improve on his performance in Atlanta four years ago.

McGregor will compete in three events ©AP

The women's road squad is a blend of youth and experience, with Yorkshirewoman Yvonne McGregor, at 39, tackling her second Olympic Games. During her career she has been a world record holder and a bronze medal winner in the world Individual Pursuit. She placed fourth in the Individual Pursuit in Atlanta. In Sydney she faces a busy schedule of the Pursuit, Road Race and Time Trial.

Ceris Gilfillan, a former triathlete from Malvern, is enjoying the best season of her young career. Just 20, she has won the national road title and gained a silver medal in the under-23 European time trial championship this year.

Sara Symington, who lives in Aylestone, Leicestershire, also has a background in triathlon. The former Loughborough University student is a good road sprinter and last year became the only British woman ever to win a medal at a world cup event, taking third place in the first round in Canberra.

Brian Cookson, president of the British Cycling Federation, said: "I am delighted to say that our team in Sydney is the strongest cycling team we have ever sent to any Olympic Games. The support we have received from the National Lottery, that has allowed us to establish the World Class Performance Programme under the direction of Peter Keen, has meant that we have been able to provide levels of support that have never previously been possible.

"While this alone doesn't guarantee success, of course, it does mean that we have levelled the playing field with the opposition."

CRAIG LORD
The Times

McGregor's diary ...