As it turns out, a big name won't guarantee a spot in Great Britain's squad for the Olympic Games. As British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton revealed, not only Mark Cavendish but also Sir Bradley Wiggins has to ride at the top of his abilities in the upcoming Track World Championships in London to cement his place in the team for Rio.

Wiggins rode his last road race for Team Sky last year in April, and since then focused mainly on the track, in order to end his impressive career by winning yet another gold medal in Rio. As Sutton revealed, though, during the upcoming Track World Championships in London the former Tour de France champion will have to fight for his spot in the team just like any other rider, as the door is not yet closed for any serious contender.

“I’ve said, time and again, it’s an evidence-based selection that he’s involved in,” Sutton told BBC, according to Cyclingnews. “There are six guys there in the mix at the time, Brad is one of the strong guys in the group, but he has to go out there and produce. That will determine whether he makes the road to Rio but as it sits, in this moment in time, he will be in the starting line-up in London, and hopefully, he can go well there and cement his place in Rio.”

“I think at this moment in time he’ll be in the starting line-up. I think that it is a big foot in the door for anybody that goes to London. This is predominantly our Olympic squad, but that’s not to say that people can’t come leftfield,” explained Sutton. “There are one or two sprinters that might have been left out or one or two endurance guys. They’ve got five months to turn that around. If they periodise well and do everything right then they can still come into the team; the door is not closed.”