By Alex Murray

Jonny Bellis rode in the Olympic under-23 road race

While August saw the world's eyes focused on Beijing and the Great Britain track squad, September sees the cycling spotlight back on the road where, traditionally, British success has been harder to come by.

But all that may be about to change with the emergence of the so-called Generation 2012 of riders, who are being talked about as much more than just continental cannon fodder.

For those looking to spot the future of British cycling, there is a wealth of talent at the Tour of Britain who can, and most probably will, develop into contenders for some of the biggest honours in the sport.

These are the boys who've spent the last few years getting a continental education in Italy under the guidance of Mark Cavendish's former coach, Rod Ellingworth, and former pro Max Sciandri at the Under-23 Academy.

The two names currently drawing the most interest are Jonny Bellis and Ben Swift. Both rode in Olympic road race in Beijing and the under-23 world championships in 2007, where Bellis bagged a bronze medal in a chaotic sprint, and caught the eye of the big teams.

They have both been selected for the under-23 squad for the 2008 world championships, and come to the Tour of Britain in excellent form from the Giro Ciclistico Aosta in Italy, where Swift grabbed a stage win.

Bellis is the latest rider to follow the increasingly well-worn route from the Isle of Man to the British track setup and then onto the road, most notably taken by Cavendish. Bellis will be riding for CSC-Saxo Bank - the team of Carlos Sastre, the reigning Tour de France champion - who have had their eye on him since he joined them for a training camp last year.

Ben Swift is in the GB U23 squad for the Road Worlds in Italy

Along with two more promising Academy alumni, Andy Tennant and Ian Stannard, Swift will ride for a Great Britain team alongside Halfords-Bikehut riders Tom Southam and Rob Hayles, the latter being keen to make an impact in the national champion's jersey. The Halfords boys will bring plenty of experience to the youthful mix, both having past experience on the continent and in domestic racing this season.

In contrast to the young Turks, Steve Cummings and Geraint Thomas of Barloworld are seasoned professionals. Both are Olympic medallists and world champions on the track who have transferred to the continental road scene successfully.

Thomas, at just 22 years old, has already finished both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in his career. He also has a win in the Fleche Du Sud, a race that lists riders of the calibre of Kim Kirchen among its past winners. The Luxemburger Kirchen wore the yellow jersey at this year's Tour de France, and is also down to ride the Tour of Britain alongside Bradley Wiggins in the Team Columbia squad.

Cummings, at 27 years old, is something of a late developer in the top flight, but is starting to blossom on the road with a recent win in the prestigious Coppa Bernocchi, adding to a stage win in the Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria earlier in the season. The quiet man from Wirral could challenge for the overall win in a field that features some big names.

While the British names are worth noting, it's the big international names that will ensure the race will get talked about and bring the fans out onto the streets. Unfortunately, the stars making their way across the country do not represent the image of a new, cleaner sport.

Rock Racing are about as controversial as cycling teams get, managing to fit in no fewer than three riders with a reputation: Tyler Hamilton, Oscar Sevilla and Santiago Botero. Hamilton may be the new US Champion, but he's also the man who served a two-year ban for blood doping, while Botero and Sevilla have both had their careers tainted by their involvement in the Operacion Puerto blood-doping scandal.

Expect them to be the focal point for the awkward-questions section of the British press.

Alessandro Pettachi was the last rider before Mark Cavendish to win four sprint stages of Le Tour

For them, the language barrier may make it easier to duck the questions from the British press.

As the biggest-name sprinter of his generation, the prospect of matching up Petacchi against Cavendish was being hotly anticipated until Columbia sent the British hotshot to the Tour of Missouri. Happily there are still a few fast men of the class of Robbie Hunter for him to spar with.

For those with an eye on the French, last year's winner Romain Feillu, another former wearer of the yellow jersey, returns with Agritubel as well as fan favourite Nicolas Vogondy. How the headline writers will be hoping he can win in Gateshead, on the banks of the River Tyne.