Cycling-Cav and Wiggo save best to last in thrilling climax

(Releads on Madison) * Britain top medals with five gold * Set for strong Olympic challenge in Rio By Martyn Herman LONDON, March 6 (Reuters) - Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish provided a rip-roaring climax to the world track cycling championships with a stunning Madison victory that rocked London's velodrome to its rafters on Sunday. The two British cycling greats, who fell out when they failed to claim an Olympic medal in the 200-lap event at the 2008 Beijing Games, came from nowhere to carve their way to victory and give the hosts a table-topping fifth gold medal. Five months before the start of the Rio Olympics, Britain again look like the team to beat after failing to win any golds at last year's world championships. Laura Trott did not put a wheel out of place as she claimed her second gold medal of the week with a dominant victory in the omnium having already won the scratch race. Trott, who won Olympic gold in the multi-discipline event on the same London boards four years ago, was a model of consistency throughout two gruelling days and maintained her stranglehold during the concluding points race. Her boyfriend Jason Kenny could not match her though as his hopes of adding keirin gold to the men's sprint title he won on Saturday fizzled out when he rolled home last in the final. Joachim Eilers won the title from New Zealand's Edward Dawkins, the German also taking his second gold medal having won the men's time trial. "I didn't have the legs," said Kenny, spent after Saturday's sprint climax when he beat Australia's Matthew Glaetzer. China celebrated a first world individual sprint champion when Tianshi Zhong beat compatriot Lin Junhongin in the final. Zhong had upset twice world champion Kristina Vogel of Germany in the semi-final when her team mate also sprung a surprise, outpacing Australia's Olympic champion Anna Meares. For sheer sporting theatre though the best was saved to last with the Wiggins-Cavendish show. A partisan home crowd produced an ear-splitting din as the British duo, working like clockwork with Spain, gained back a lap after France, Switzerland and Colombia had stolen a march. Tour de France sprint king Cavendish even had to pick himself off the boards after a late crash, but Wiggins had the race under control by then as the crowd counted down the laps. "It's one of the last times we'll ride together. That's incredible," Cavendish, who must wish the Madison was still an Olympic event, said as the crowd saluted them. Former Tour de France champion Wiggins, who now has seven world track titles, said they had left it late. "We knew it was now or never, fortunately we had racked up enough points early on," he said. (Reporting by Martyn Herman, editing by Pritha Sarkar/Rex Gowar)