Mark Cavendish and Lizzie Deignan to represent Britain in Qatar

Cavendish, who won silver on the track in the omnium at Rio 2016, and Deignan (known as Armitstead before her marriage last weekend to fellow cyclist Philip Deignan) will both compete at the championships in Doha, held October 9-16.

"The depth of talent available to us on the road this year has been exceptional and I believe we have picked strong squads for all the races we are entering," said British Cycling head coach Iain Dyer.

"In the men's race, Mark heads to Doha as one of the clear favourites given the nature of the course and he will have a strong team around him."

Cavendish's fellow Olympians Steve Cummings, Ian Stannard and Geraint Thomas are included on the shortlist along with current national champion Adam Blythe.

Reigning women's world champion Deignan has been selected for the women's elite race, as have national champion Hannah Barnes and her sister Alice Barnes.

Dyer added: "In the women's squad, we've got some real high-calibre contenders with a couple of riders having the capability to be competitive in a sprint finish scenario. "

Squads - Elite Men Road Race (nine places qualified): Adam Blythe, Mark Cavendish, Stephen Cummings, Alex Dowsett, Dan McLay, Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard, Ben Swift, Geraint Thomas, Scott Thwaites.

Elite Women Road Race (eight places qualified): Alice Barnes, Hannah Barnes, Lizzie Deignan, Danielle King, Laura Massey, Annasley Park, Abby Mae Parkinson, Eileen Roe.