Olympics 2016: What time is the cycling and who is riding for Team GB?

If there is one Olympic sport in which Team GB excels it is the cycling and hopes are high for another mammoth medal haul at Rio 2016.

At London 2012 British riders won eight of the 18 events and on the track they were so dominant that they only failed to win a medal in one event, the women's team sprint, and that was because Victoria Pendleton and Jess Varnish were disqualified.

How will they fare this time round?

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The cycling begins on Saturday with the men's road race. The route, the same for the women's race, which takes place on Sunday, is described as "tough and hilly" with riders required to tackle two circuits. The first features two nasty climbs but it's the 8.5km ascent up Vista Chinesa on the second circuit that will prove decisive in deciding the medals.

The action then moves to the 7,500-capacity Olympic velodrome before the cycling programme finishes with the BMX and mountain biking on the closing weekend of the Games.

Here is the full list of medal finals (UK times) featuring British riders in with a shout of pedalling their way onto the podium.

Saturday August 6

1.30pm: Men's Road Race

Tour de France champion Chris Froome has high hopes of a medal but much depend on how quickly he's recovered from winning his third Tour title last month. If he's firing on all cyclinders then he could take gold. Also keep an eye out for fellow Briton 23-year-old Adam Yates, who finished fourth in the Tour de France and was crowned the best young rider in the prestigious event. Then there is Geraint Thomas, the third member of the team who will be aiming for a gold medal at his third successive Olympics. The other two riders Ian Stannard and Steve Cummings could also step up if one of the big guns crashes.

Sunday August 7

4.15pm: Women's Road Race

A few weeks ago Lizzie Armitstead, silver medallist in London, was the strong favourite for gold, but it remains to be seen how this week's controversy about her missed doping tests will affect her focus. The Yorkshirewoman's biggest challenge is likely to come from the Dutch pair of Marianne Vos (2012 champion) and Anna van der Breggen

Wednesday August 10

12.30pm: Women's Individual Time Trial

With Chris Froome a strong contender in the Men's Time Trial, Team GB will be pinning their hope in Emma Pooley, who was controversially selected ahead of Dani King. Pooley, 33, finished sixth in 2012 and has only competed in two events this year prior to selection.

2pm: Men's Individual Time Trial

Chris Froome goes for glory once again and the course's demanding circuit will give him an an advantage over time-trial specialists such as Tom Dumoulin and Tony Martin.

Thursday August 11

10.21pm: Men's Team Sprint Finals

The three-man team of Jason Kenny, Philip Hindes and Callum Skinner will be hoping to repeat Team GB's success from the 2012 Games when Kenny, Hindes and Chris Hoy held off the French challenge to take gold.

Friday August 12

10pm: Women's Team Sprint Final

The one track event that Team GB failed to win a medal in at London, and there will be no change at Rio as Team GB controversially failed to qualify, and the fall-out led to the suspension of coach Shane Sutton.

10.20pm: Men's Team Pursuit Final

Bradley Wiggins is looking to become Britain's most successful Olympian in the team pursuit with an eighth medal, and the 36-year-old veteran leads a team that contains Ed Clancy, Owain Doull and Steven Burke.

Saturday August 13

8.53pm: Women's Team Pursuit Final

Laura Trott, Joanna Rowsell-Shand, Elinor Barker, Katie Archibald and Ciara Horne comprise the British team, although only three riders will take part. Trott and Rowsell-Shand were part of the trio that destroyed the opposition in London four years ago.

9.27pm: Women's Keirin Finals

Becky James is aiming for the podium after winning a keirin bronze at this year's world championships. The Welsh cyclist took gold at the 2013 championships but then suffered two-years of injury and illness before getting back in the saddle.

Sunday August 14

9.04pm: Men's Sprint Finals

Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner are Team GB's riders with Kenny aiming to repeat his gold medal success of 2012 with Australia's Matthew Glaetzer potentially his biggest threat.

Monday August 15

9.23pm: Men's Omnium Points Race

Mark Cavendish, who showed with his four stage wins in last month's Tour de France that he is back in top form, is one of the favourites in the Omnium points race as he looks to banish memoirs of 2008 when he finished a disappoitning ninth with Bradley Wiggins in the now defunct madison event.

Tuesday August 16

9.05pm: Women Omnium Points Race

Laura Trott has dominated the event since winning gold at the London Olympics. The 24-year-old Essex cyclist is also the reigning world champion and is overwhelming favourite to take gold.

9.44pm: Women's Sprint Finals

Becky James and Katy Marchant go for Britain in an event where Anna Meares, the 2012 champion, and compatriot Stephanie Morton are favourites.

10.14pm: Men's Keirin Finals

Jason Kenny, fiance of Laura Trott, has the task of filling Chris Hoy's illustrious shoes in the keirin. With three Olympic golds to his name already, the 28-year-old will surpass Hoy's tally of five golds if he triumphs in the keirin as well as the individual and team sprints

Friday August 19

7pm: Women's BMX final

7.10pm: Men's BMX final

British hopes rest with Kyle Evans and in particular Liam Phillips, who was an Olympian in 2012. Since then Phillips has been crowned BMX world champion in 2013 and then became the first man to clinch the UCI Supercross World Cup overall title two years running – in 2014 and 2015. His biggest rival is 20-year-old Dutchman Niek Kimman, the current world number one.

Saturday August 20

4.30pm: Women's X-Country Mountain Bike final

Sunday August 21

4.30pm: Men's X-Country Mountain Bike final

Julien Absalon of France and Nino Schurter of Switzerland have been described as the "Federer and Djokovic of cross-country mountain biking", but alas there's no Andy Murray with Team GB riders failing to qualify for either the men's or women's mountain biking.