Great Britain team manager Rod Ellingworth criticised the attitude of his star-studded team following a disastrous day at the Road World Championships.

Not one of the eight-strong British team, including big names Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish, finished the 272.5km race on Sunday amid treacherous conditions in Tuscany.

Wiggins and Cavendish fell early on while team-mate Steve Cummings suffered a puncture.

With around 80km of the course left and having lost most of his team-mates, Froome withdrew from a race won by Portugal’s Rui Costa.

Ellingworth was far from im-pressed with his team.

Asked if he felt his riders lacked spirit, he said: “Yes. I think it may be that simple.

“A lot of people were talking the talk beforehand and didn’t see it through. No excuses, each and every one of them underperformed. They are all disappointed and they need to be.”

He added: “After the success we’ve had in previous years this was a very poor result. Having the British jersey on their backs, they should be disappointed. They didn’t show what they are capable of.

“I don’t think the lads’ attitude was where it needed to be. Luke Rowe and Cavendish were OK... the other guys were below average.

“To have all of them sat on the team bus with 100km to go is not what you want to happen.”

Froome and Wiggins, the last two winners of the Tour de France, did not escape Ellingworth’s displeasure either.

“Chris said he struggled but it’s the same for everyone. It’s never going to be his strong point when the weather’s like that but that’s what makes the worlds the race it is,” Ellingworth contended.

“I’m sure Brad will be disappointed with his performance. It’s not that he hasn’t got the form. He went out the back on (the early climb of) San Baronto. The writing was on the wall then, to be honest.”