Yates brothers headline British 2018 World Championships men's squad as full team announced

The British teams for the 2018 World Championships in Austria have been confirmed, with Simon and Adam Yates headlining the elite men’s squad.

Simon Yates, the current leader of the Vuelta a España, and Mitchelton-Scott team-mate Adam have both made selection for the men’s road race on September 30.

Also named in the team is Tour of Britain stage winner Ian Stannard (Team Sky) and the reigning British champion Connor Swift from Madison-Gensis.

>>> UCI Road World Championships 2018: dates, route, where to watch and more

The women’s team also features big names, including Dani Rowe and Hannah Barnes.

British Cycling performance director Stephen Park said: “British riders have excelled themselves on the road this season at all levels and it’s been a pleasure to watch them in action.

“We’ve selected a strong team to take on this year’s world championships, and there’s a lot of talent within the squad.

"It’s great to see so many WorldTour riders on our start list but equally, it shows what a great place we are in as a nation to be able to give riders such as Hugh Carthy, Connor Swift, Dani Christmas, Alice Cobb and Anna Henderson the opportunity to make their debut appearance at world championship level for the Great Britain Cycling Team.”

Also taking to the start line in the Union Jack kit will be Hugh Carthy (EF Education First-Drapac), Pete Kennaugh (Bora-Hansgrohe), James Knox from Quick-Step Floors, and Team Sky’s Tao Geoghegan Hart.

The obvious omissions from the men’s road race and time trial squads are Team Sky’s Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas.

Both Tour de France winners announced earlier this month they will not be riding the Worlds after a brutal race calendar that included wins in both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France.

Mr Park added: “Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas are obvious omissions from the men’s team, and this was a decision we made mutually. Given the challenging nature of the course, we want every rider selected to be able to give their 100% to the team, and on the back of what has been an incredible season for both Gee and Froomey, it’s understandable they are unable to commit to this.

“I’m looking for us to carry on the momentum of this season into Innsbruck and I’m expecting to see some good performances in each race. We can then build on this in 2019 when the world championships come to Yorkshire and we can look forward to competing on our home roads.”

The two riders selected for the men’s time trial will be Alex Dowsett (Katusha-Alpecin) and Geoghagen Hart, while the women will be represented by Alice Barnes (Canyon-Sram) and Hayley Simmonds (WNT).

2018 UCI World Championships British team

Elite Men’s Road Race:

Hugh Carthy

Tao Geoghegan Hart

Pete Kennaugh

James Knox

Ian Stannard

Connor Swift

Adam Yates

Simon Yates

Elite Men’s Time Trial:

Alex Dowsett

Tao Geoghagen Hart

Elite Women’s Road Race:

Hannah Barnes

Dani Christmas

Alice Cobb

Anna Henderson

Dani Rowe

Sophie Wright

Elite Women’s Time Trial:

Alice Barnes

Hayley Simmonds

Under-23 Men’s Road Race:

Mark Donovan

Ethan Hayter

James Shaw

Max Stedman

Stephen Williams

Under 23 Men’s Time Trial:

Ethan Hayter

Charlie Tanfield

Junior Men’s Road Race:

Lewis Askey

Alfie George

Mason Hollyman

Ben Tulett

Sam Watson

Junior Men’s Time Trial:

Joe Laverick

Ben Tulett

Junior Women’s Road Race:

Elynor Backstedt

Pfeiffer Georgi

Amy Monkhouse

Amelia Sharpe

April Tacey

Junior Women’s Time Trial:

Pfeiffer Georgi

Elynor Backstedt