British Cycling has joined forces with media organisation BSkyB to form a new professional road cycling team with the aim of securing the first ever British winner of the Tour de France within five years.

Team Sky will be managed by Great Britain's Olympic performance director, Dave Brailsford, and will include an initial squad of 25 riders who will be recruited by the end of the year. The new team is expected to start competing in early 2010 in a bid to secure an invitation to enter the Tour de France, while also competing in the Tour of Britain to showcase the team on home ground and to inspire more people to participate in the sport.

Brailsford said: "Team Sky will bring to a professional road team the performance principles that have worked so well with the current GB teams; commitment, meticulous planning, the aggregation of marginal gains and a rider-centred philosophy. "We want to make heroes, persuade a generation to pull on Team Sky colours and inspire people to ride. This will be an epic story; building a British team to take on the best in professional cycling, and win."

BSkyB chief executive, Jeremy Darroch, added: "Sky is already the principal partner for British Cycling, supports the Youth Sport Trust through Sky Sports Living for Sport and invests heavily in British sport. "Team Sky builds on this and will inspire people of all ages and abilities to get out and ride, for fun, for fitness, and for the environment."