Tom Pidcock will spearhead the British challenge in a smaller than usual team at the Road World Cycling Championships in Rwanda.

There are no riders named for either the women’s road race or the men’s time trial, while Olympic silver medalist Anna Henderson is the sole British entrant in the women’s time trial.

A strong under-23 contingent suggests British Cycling’s focus is on the next generation, with three years remaining until the 2028 LA Olympic Games.

Zoe Backstedt (under-23 time trial) and Cat Ferguson (under-23 road race) have both won at World Tour level this year, while two of the men’s elite road race squad – former Tour of Rwanda winner Joe Blackmore and Bjorn Koerdt – were both eligible for the under-23 events.

Two of the best British riders of all time have recently retired, with Lizzie Deignan, the 2015 women’s world road race champion, doing so in July and former Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas finishing his career earlier this month.

The championships are being held in Africa for the first time and are being described as the toughest ever.

Rwanda is nicknamed the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’ and the men’s road race features 5,475m of elevation over the 267.5km course in the nation’s capital Kigali.

The championships, which run from 21 to 28 September, will be broadcast live across BBC TV, iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.