Mark Cavendish: Cyclist to compete at World Championships

Mark Cavendish and Sir Bradley Wiggins won gold at the World Championships in 2008

Mark Cavendish will be part of Great Britain's team for next month's UCI Track Cycling World Championships in London after a seven-year absence.

The 30-year-old will again partner Sir Bradley Wiggins, with whom he won the world madison title in 2008, for the event, from 2-6 March.

Last week, Cavendish won the Tour of Qatar road race for the second time.

Two-time world champion Becky James, 24, returns after a two-year absence because of a serious knee injury.

"We have selected the strongest squad available to us," said technical director Shane Sutton. "We are in good shape and the team we have selected is close to the Olympic model."

Cavendish will take part in the omnium at the Lee Valley VeloPark and combine with Wiggins in the madison, an event they won in Manchester eight years ago.

In January, Cavendish told BBC Sport he would try to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France and win both an Olympic medal and the World Road Championships this year.

The Tour de France starts on 2 July with a flat stage that will suit the sprinters, and Cavendish is hoping to win it.

The Olympics start in Rio on 5 August, and the World Road Championships take place in Doha, Qatar in October.

Great Britain team for the UCI Track Cycling World Championships (2-6 March):

Women's sprint: Becky James, Katy Marchant, Jess Varnish.

Men's sprint: Matt Crampton, Phil Hindes, Jason Kenny, Callum Skinner.

Women's endurance: Katie Archibald, Elinor Barker, Ciara Horne, Emily Nelson, Joanna Rowsell Shand, Laura Trott.

Men's endurance: Steven Burke, Mark Cavendish, Ed Clancy, Jon Dibben, Owain Doull, Chris Latham, Andy Tennant, Sir Bradley Wiggins.

Read more: BBC Sport's guide to track cycling