No fewer than seven Manx or Isle of Man-based cyclists have been long-listed for a place in the Great Britain team for the forthcoming UCI World Road Race Championships.

This year’s championships, the highlight of the cycling calendar, take place in Bergen, Norway between September 17-24, culminating with the elite road race on the final day where Cav will be hoping to reclaim the rainbow jersey he won in 2011.

The Team Dimension Data star has endured a frustrating season, contracting Epstein Barr Syndrome - commonly known as glandular fever - at the Milan-San Remo spring classic race in March which forced him to sit out competitive action for two months.

The Manx Missile was then sidelined by injury for another two months after suffering a fractured shoulder blade in a heavy crash towards the end of stage four at this year’s Le Tour.

Cavendish is currently competing in the Tour of Britain where he’s acting as a leadout for Team Dimension Data colleague Edvald Boasson Hagen who has twice gone close to winning a stage this week.

The Norweigian rider thought he had won Monday’s stage only to be penalised for an infringement and was subsequently demoted to second behind Elia Viviani, before he then lost out in a photo-finish to Caleb Ewan a day later.

Should Cav made the GB team for Norway, he won’t just be going to make up the numbers though.

That’s the view of Dimension Data’s sporting director Roger Hammond who, earlier this week, commented: ’Cav isn’t going to the World Championships just to put a race number on. If he is going to be there, he is going to be there to do something.

’He has been to enough World Championships and won enough medals and gold medals at the highest level to know that just turning up isn’t fun anymore.

’The fun at that level of the job is in executing what you’re asked to do. If you can’t do that, you won’t be there.’

It’s not just Cav who has his eyes on the rainbow jersey at this month’s UCI world champs, with several other ’local’ riders in the running.

Team Sky duo Peter Kennaugh and Ian Stannard, plus UAE Emirates’ Ben Swift and Aqua Blue Sport’s Mark Christian are also in contention for selection for the elite men’s road race and time trial.

Manxman Kennaugh is poised to join reigning world champion Peter Sagan at BORA Hansgrohe next season and will be warming up for Norway when competing alongside Onchan resident Swift in two Canadian races this weekend, the Cycliste de Québec and Cycliste de Montréal.

Castletown resident Stannard and Christian are currently competing in the Vuelta a Espana, the latter in his maiden Grand Tour which comes on the back of a fine first season with Irish outfit Aqua Blue Sport.

Mark’s sister Anna has also been long-listed for a place in GB’s elite women’s road race and time trial, having recently competed in the Ladies Tour of Norway.

The Drops Cycling rider goes into the world championships aiming to add to her success in the British road champs which were staged on home soil in June.

Fellow Manxie Matt Bostock is also in contention for a place in the British squad having been long-listed in the men’s under-23 men’s class after another good year on both the road and track, including an excellent fourth place in the Beaumont Trophy in June and an impressive showing in the Ronde de l’Oise.