Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins is ready to pass the leadership mantle on to Mark Cavendish as Great Britain go for road race gold on Saturday's opening day of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Cavendish is among the favourites to win the 250-kilometre road race, which features nine ascents of Surrey's Box Hill and finishes on The Mall, and will have Wiggins riding at full throttle in a bid to help the Manxman triumph.

Wiggins, who on Sunday became the first Briton to win the Tour's yellow jersey, said: "This is what Cav has been living for for most of the year.

"He's looking as fit as I've ever seen him on the bike and we're approaching the thing he's been thinking about since he won the world title.

"In our minds there's no doubt that he's going to be there in the final.

"He's been there for me the last month and now he can sense that it's his turn and we're all there for him."

Cavendish won three Tour stages, including Sunday's final stage on the Champs-Elysees, Wiggins won two, Chris Froome and David Millar won a stage apiece, while Ian Stannard missed the Tour, but is the British champion. Froome finished second overall behind Wiggins.

All five were members of the nine-man team in Copenhagen last September when Cavendish won the world title.

"It's probably the strongest Great Britain Olympic team on the road that has ever been assembled," Wiggins said.

"We're all quite humble about our achievements, but externally we must look an incredible dominant force.

"I think people know what we're up to, what we're going to do.

"It's no secret Cav wants to win it. He's got four incredible guys to help him do that.

"We've got the fastest man in the world and I guess it's for other people to combat that."

Or, as British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford said: "He's plan A and the rest of the alphabet."

In Beijing, Cavendish suffered the ignominy of being the only member of the British track team to return home without a medal.

Cavendish withdrew from the 2008 Tour prior to reaching Paris after four stage wins to turn his attentions to the Olympic Madison alongside Wiggins.

But an exhausted and ill Wiggins, after gold medals in the team and individual pursuit events, and Cavendish combined to place a disappointing ninth, despite being world champions entering the event.

Wiggins does not feel a debt is owed.

He added: "I think I've repaid that at the worlds last year, that lap I did, and at the Tour, leading him out in the yellow jersey - it doesn't get much better than that."

Since the London 2012 programme was revealed Cavendish has had the expectation of being potentially the first gold medal winner for Britain at the home Games.

Whether it is the first or last event, Cavendish is not concerned, but he has been planning for and considering this event for a long time, so much so that he knows the Box Hill loop like the back of his hand.

Cavendish said: "An Olympic medal, regardless if it's the first or last on offer, it's an Olympic medal for your team.

"It's easy to get emotional about it. I've been nervous this week.

"We've trained to be able to deal with those nerves and we've got to put it to bed.

"We've got a process which we have to adhere to. It's a process we know if we commit 100% we've got the best chance of winning."

Cavendish, who won the test event over a modified route last August, echoed Wiggins' comments on the team's strength.

"It's the dream team," the 27-year-old said.

"If we wanted to win this bike race we couldn't be in a better situation team-wise."

Cavendish has not even considered the prospect of victory and will race again on Sunday in a lucrative criterium race.

"I don't ever really celebrate anything, I just set the next target," Cavendish added.

"I'm racing on Sunday in Belgium, Monday in Pau, Tuesday in Holland.

"It's my day job. That's what professional cycling is. It's entertainment."

Important information for spectators at the Road Race and all Olympic events

Follow ITV Cycling on Twitter