Bradley Wiggins will lead Team Sky's nine-strong Tour de France squad as Britain's greatest yellow jersey prospect in the races' 99-year history.

Off the back of three consecutive wins at Paris-Nice, Tour de Romandie and Critérium du Dauphiné and podiums in every stage he has competed in during the last 12 months, Wiggins goes into the tour as the world's form endurance rider.

He will be joined by Mark Cavendish, the first Briton in 46 years to wear the rainbow jersey, who will looking to retain his green jersey from 2011 and become the most successful out-and-out sprint cyclist in tour history by adding to his 20 career stage wins.

Bradley Wiggins
Wiggins is aiming to become the first British winner of the Tour de France.

Elsewhere, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Bernhard Eisel, Chris Froome, Christian Knees, Richie Porte, Michael Rogers and Kanstantsin Siutsou will assist the duo in their respective goals - a overal-points double that no team has done for 15 years - and team principal Dave Brailsford believes the flexibility of the squad is their key asset heading into the three-week event.

"Our priority this year is the General Classification with Bradley but that doesn't mean we'll neglect the sprint stages, or Mark's bid for green jersey," he said.

"Chris, Mick, and Richie are among our strongest climbers and will all be there to support Bradley in the mountains, but then we've got riders like Christian and Kosta who have strong engines on the flats, and versatile riders like Edvald and Bernhard who can support Mark in the sprints.

"This squad is truly world class with a proven pedigree of success. They have trained, raced and lived together since the start of the season and that has moulded them into a well-oiled, focused and close-knit team.

"They are all full of confidence after their recent run of results and it's going to be exciting to see how the race transpires."

Wiggins, who in 2009 equalled the best finish by a British rider in the tour after finishing fourth, crashed out during last year's seventh stage with a broken collarbone.

However, after a stellar 2012, the 32 year old is hoping to turn previous disappointment into a British win for the first time in the event's history.

"I'm really proud to be part of such a strong unit going into the Tour de France," Wiggins said. "The team's preparation has been perfectly managed and our form this season gives us a great chance of being successful.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time and I'll do everything I can to win the Tour de France. Hopefully we can do the business for ourselves and our fans, and become the most successful British-based cycling team ever."