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All the talk is about Mark Cavendish leading the GB medal charge in the Men’s Road Race on Saturday but there are several reasons to oppose him.

Firstly his price - at 5/4 (William Hill) he is far too short in a race with 145 participants. There is no doubt he is the fastest sprinter in the field, but because of that very fact the peloton aren’t going to let his team dictate the race. In the five Olympic road races contested by professional riders, none have been won by a recognised sprinter.

People will point to Cavendish’s victory in the World Championships, but he had seven support riders to reel in breakaways. In the Olympics he will only have four and that isn’t enough. Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome will be giving their all, but after a tough Tour De France their tanks must be close to empty.

For probably the entire 250km, Team GB will be under attack and it is unlikely they will get any help. The race is setup perfectly for a breakaway to win but this is where it gets tricky.

I could list at least 20 riders with good claims, but in the betting Luis León Sánchez stands out. He has the ideal profile for a road race in that he has the raw time-trailing ability for the flat sections plus the explosive power to do damage in the climbs.

He recently won the 14th stage of the Tour de France, which included two category 1 climbs but showed his versatility by finishing third in the final time trial.  Spain’s national time trial champion for the last two years, he should be perfectly suited by the profile of the Olympic road race course.

With the focus on Cavendish, Luis León Sánchez could sneak into a breakaway and cause a surprise at 40/1 with Sportingbet.