Mark Cavendish: Two men deny robbing the cyclist at Ongar home

The incident at Mark Cavendish's home happened on 27 November

Two men have denied robbing Olympic and Tour de France cyclist Mark Cavendish and his wife Peta at their home.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard the couple were threatened at their house in the Ongar area of Essex at 02:35 GMT on 27 November.

Romario Henry, 31, of Lewisham, south London, and Oludewa Okorosobo, 28, of Camberwell, south London, pleaded not guilty to two counts of robbery.

They are due to face trial on 3 October.

A third defendant, 27-year-old Ali Sesay, of Holding Street, in Rainham, Kent, was not asked to enter pleas to the two charges.

Essex Police said no-one sustained serious injuries during the raid, but Mr Cavendish said in a statement that his family were "extremely distressed" and "feared for their lives" by it.

The force said a Louis Vuitton suitcase and two high-value watches were stolen.

Cavendish won the Green jersey - awarded for the most points gained for high placings and intermediate sprints on each stage - at the 2021 Tour de France

Mr Henry, of Bell Green, and Mr Okorosobo, of Flaxman Road, were remanded in custody.

Mr Sesay, of no fixed address, was also remanded in custody and is due before the court for a case management hearing on Friday.

At the time of the incident, Mr Cavendish, 36, was recovering from significant injuries he suffered in a crash in a track event in Belgium earlier that month.

The cyclist, originally from the Isle of Man, won four stages at last year's Tour de France, equalling the tour record of 34 set by Belgian legend Eddy Merckx.

His best Olympic placing was winning silver in the omnium in the velodrome at Rio 2016 and he was the BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner in 2011.