LONDON (Reuters) - London will bid for the 2016 track cycling world championships, the Olympic city said on Sunday, seizing the momentum from Bradley Wiggins's ground-breaking victory at the Tour de France.

Immediately after Wiggins became the first British cyclist to capture the world's greatest cycling race, London mayor Boris Johnson confirmed that British Cycling had selected London to bid for the track championships, which could be one of the first major international tournaments held in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park following this month's Games.

"Huge congratulations must go to Bradley Wiggins," Johnson, a renowned cycling fan, said in a statement. "His inspirational performances, ably supported by his fellow Team Sky riders including Brits Chris Froome and Mark Cavendish, will encourage thousands more people to take to two wheels.

"I want our great capital city to play its own part in the cycling revolution that is taking place by hosting the track cycling world championships in 2016.

"This is the best sports city in the world and the wonderful velodrome we have built in east London would be packed to the rafters for such an event."

British Cycling said the experience gained from staging Olympic events would pay dividends in London's efforts to land the track championships.

(Reporting by Steve Keating; Editing by Clare Fallon)