Cycling: Four riders to help Mark Cavendish

(AP)

Sprinter Mark Cavendish will have four support riders, the maximum possible, in his bid to become Britain's first Olympic gold medallist next July.

According to a document published yesterday by the UCI, cycling's governing body, only eight nations will field the maximum permitted of five riders in the Olympic men's road-race: Australia, Belgium, Spain, Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the US.