MERSEYSIDE'S Steve Cummings and West Lancashire's Bradley Wiggins have made Britain's team for the Track Cycling World Championships alongside Victoria Pendleton and Chris Hoy.
Britain will defend seven world titles from 2007 when the five-day competition commences in Manchester on March 26.
Sprinters Craig McLean and Jason Queally have missed out but youngsters David Daniell and Jessica Varnish both earn surprise call-ups.
Winners of the 10 Olympic events qualify automatically for Beijing.
Britain were the dominant force in last year's World Championships in Palma and will be hoping to repeat the feat on home soil.
Not only is it the last major event before the Olympics, it's taking place on our home track where we'll have great crowd support
Pendleton won three golds in 2007, while Hoy and Wiggins - a three-time Olympic medallist - got two each.
"It will be a special championships for everyone in the team," said Dave Brailsford, the British team's performance director.
"Not only is it the last major event before the Beijing Olympics, it is also taking place on our home track in Manchester, where we will be able to count great crowd support."
Among other gold medal contenders are BMX world champion Shanaze Reade, who is expected to partner Pendleton in the women's team sprint.
The team will be without former points race world champion Chris Newton, who broke his collarbone in a training accident on March 6 - though he has already qualified for the Olympics.
Veteran MacLean, a member of Britain's silver medal-winning sprint team in Palma, misses out due to injury but - along with Queally - is expected to be in contention for a place on the British Olympic team when it is selected later this year.
Steve Burke (Burnley) receives his first senior world championships call-up and could be included in the men's team pursuit.
Young sprinters Daniell (Middlesbrough) and Varnish (Bromsgrove), billed as the surprise call-ups, have both excelled at junior level.
Steve Cummings (Barloworld) Photo ©: Fotoreporter Sirotti
FULL SQUAD:
Lizzie Armitstead (Otley)
Anna Blyth (Leeds)
Steve Burke (Burnley)
Mark Cavendish (Isle of Man)
Ed Clancy (Huddersfield)
Matt Crampton (Manchester)
Kate Cullen (Edinburgh)
Steve Cummings (Wirral)
David Daniell (Middlesbrough)
Ross Edgar (Newmarket)
Rob Hayles (Portsmouth)
Wendy Houvenaghel (Cornwall)
Chris Hoy (Edinburgh)
Jason Kenny (Bolton)
Paul Manning (Birmingham/Stockport)
Vicky Pendleton (Stotfold, Herts)
Shanaze Reade (Crewe)
Rebecca Romero (High Wycombe)
Jo Rowsell (Sutton, London)
Jamie Staff (Ashford, Kent)
Geraint Thomas (Cardiff)
Jessica Varnish (Bromsgrove)
Bradley Wiggins (Maida Vale, London)
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