Alex Dowsett and Steve Cummings selected by GB for World Championships time trial

British time trial national champion Alex Dowsett and Tour of Britain winner Steve Cummings will represent Great Britain in the elite men's individual time trial at the 2016 UCI Road World Championships in Doha, Qatar.

Dowsett, Cummings and Geraint Thomas were on GB's original long list for the discipline, but Thomas will focus on the men's road race.

The news will be welcomed by 28-year-old Dowsett, who missed out on selection for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. In addition to the 2016 British TT title, the Essex Movistar rider won the individual time trial stage at the Tour of Poland in July by a convincing margin. His highest-profile TT victory is the Giro d'Italia TT stage in 2013.

Dowsett has also been selected as part of Movistar's line-up for the team time trial event in Doha.

>>> Preview: UCI Road World Championships 2016 time trials

Cummings, 35, has had a highly successful year with his Dimension Data trade team, winning a stages of the Tour de France, Tirreno-Adriatico, Tour of the Basque Country and Critérium du Dauphiné as well as the overall victory in the Tour of Britain.

Cummings placed fourth in the Tour of Britain TT stage in September, bettered only by World Championships TT front runners Tony Martin (Etixx-QuickStep/Germany), Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing/Australia) and Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpecin/Netherlands).

Dowsett was seventh on the same stage and then went on to place 10th at the Eneco Tour's ITT stage later the same month.

The flat time trial course in Qatar should suit both riders. The 40-kilometre course runs south east from the start in the Lusail Sports Complex and finishes on the man-made Pearl Island.

Technically adept riders will prevail, as there are numerous tight turns, roundabouts and corners to break up momentum.

>>> World Championships: men’s individual time trial start list

The final selection for the men's road race (Sunday, October 16) has yet to be confirmed by British Cycling, but it is highly likely that Cummings will be part of the squad.

The elite men's individual time trial takes place on Wednesday, October 12.