Chris Froome to sit out British Championships

Froome won the Tour for a second time in 2015 and is aiming for a third triumph in the race, which begins on July 2, ahead of his bid for Olympic gold in the road race in Rio in August.

Geraint Thomas, likely to be a key lieutenant for Froome in France, is also absent from the June 26 event in Britain but their Team Sky colleagues Ian Stannard, Luke Rowe and Ben Swift are in the long list for the race which British Cycling announced on Tuesday. Defending champion Pete Kennaugh (broken collarbone) is out.

Team Sky's management group are understood to have reservations about competing in the British Championships so close to the Tour, as the race is a battle of wills among friends and rivals, resulting in riders digging deeper than is ideal ahead of the three-week stage race.

Cavendish is included in the initial entry list ahead of his summer priorities - going for the Tour's yellow jersey in the opening stage and the Olympic omnium, if selected, on the track.

Of Britain's leading track riders, Ed Clancy and Jon Dibben are slated to start the road race. Sir Bradley Wiggins, Owain Doull, Steven Burke and Andy Tennant are absent, while Laura Trott, Joanna Rowsell-Shand, Elinor Barker and Katie Archibald are missing from the women's field.

World champion and 2015 winner Lizzie Armitstead headlines a women's field which includes Emma Pooley, who has come out of retirement to target the Rio Games.

Dame Sarah Storey, the 11-time Paralympic champion, and Pooley compete in the women's time-trial, which takes place on June 23. The favourite for the men's race against the clock will be Alex Dowsett, who is targeting a record fifth win in the event.

Dani King, the London 2012 team pursuit gold medallist, is set to line-up in the women's time-trial and road race after switching her focus to the road.