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Bradley Wiggins has no doubt Tour de France sensation Mark Cavendish will be ready to go for gold in Beijing.

Cavendish, fresh from winning four stages in world cycling's showpiece event this month, will be Wiggins' Olympic partner in the madison.

The 23-year-old could also contest the individual pursuit for Great Britain, although that is subject to trials at Manchester velodrome during the next few days.

Welshman Geraint Thomas was due to ride the individual discipline, but the final of that punishing event is the night before team pursuit qualification rounds begin, when Thomas will be part of a major British gold medal bid.

Cavendish, though, faces probable further trials in Beijing to assess his track form and would have plenty of recovery time between the madison and individual pursuit events.

He withdrew from the Tour de France last week to concentrate on Beijing.

Wiggins said: "Cav's performances were no surprise. If he had stayed to the end in Paris, he would have won five stages.

"He has come out at the right time, and he has got the best part of four weeks to get himself right.

"He will be ready to go, definitely."

Wiggins and fellow defending Olympic champion Chris Hoy spearhead a 25-strong British cycling team harbouring realistic gold medal hopes in at least half-a-dozen disciplines.

It is all a far cry from just 12 years ago, when Britain won only two cycling medals in the Atlanta Olympics - bronze for Chris Boardman and Max Sciandri.

Wiggins added: "To be honest, we have built to this for the last four years.

"To us, expectation surrounding this team is the norm. It was no surprise what we did at the 2008 World Championships (Britain won nine gold medals), so it is not like 'Oh my God, we've got to do that again'.

"The Olympics is the ultimate peak for the year.

"I remember four years ago when we were training for Athens, there wasn't a soul around and there was no expectation on the squad.

"Cycling is a minority spirt when compared to something like football, but I guess success cannot be ignored. If we do as well as we are hoping to do in Beijing, then it will be great."

Wiggins and company are currently based at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup, fine-tuning preparations at nearby Newport Velodrome.

And performance director Dave Brailsford cannot wait to reach the start line in Beijing.

He said: "The difference between now and four years ago is unbelievable.

"This group of riders is the best we have ever assembled, without a doubt.

"We are well set. We are not over-confident, but we are right to go - we are right to race. We would love to start tomorrow.

"It will take a good team to beat us. The rest of the world will have to be right on song and challenge if they want medals.

"We are not going to Beijing to be on the second or third step - we are going there to be on the top step.

"We are expecting it to be difficult out there, and the challenge is for us to raise our game. No Olympic medal is ever given away."

Sporting Life / Eurosport