“Dave Brailsford has been at the heart of the successes for British cyclists, with both GB Cycling Team and Team Sky. Part of the reason we have had this continued success is that we always look to develop and build on our knowledge and experience.

“After London 2012 it is likely that the GB team structure will evolve and we have been talking to Dave and others about this.

"The planning phase for a new Olympic and Paralympic cycle is the right time to consider this. We are already working with UK Sport on our performance plans for Rio 2016 and looking at how to best manage the GB Cycling Team and maintain our status on the world stage.

"As the planning process with UK Sport runs through to the end of the year, details will not be clear for some time. Ahead of that we won’t speculate on Dave’s role or indeed other structural changes.

"One thing we can confirm is that the integral link between Team Sky and British Cycling will remain; it has already proved its value and is an essential part of our elite performance and wider vision of providing ‘inspiration to participation’.

“For now, our priority is London 2012 and ensuring our riders reach the Games in the best possible shape and everyone within the team is fully focused on that.”