British sailors competing in the Beijing Olympic Games this summer are aiming to lose on average a tenth of their natural body weight to counter the light winds expected at the sailing venue in Qingdao.

Members of the team are on a low-fat, high-protein diet and a strict exercise regime that includes two hours of cycling before breakfast to burn off excess body fat before the Games in August.

They are expecting to lose 2-8kg each. “We are looking to have our skinniest team ever,” Pete Cunningham, the nutritionist, said.

Managers from the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) will also equip athletes with lighter clothing and sail cloth as part of a strategy to tackle the summer conditions on the northeast coast of China: light winds, strong currents and enduring fog. “The average wind speed at that time of year is six knots and at last year's test event it was less than four knots,” Stephen Park, the Olympic team manager, said. “The tide can run at up to two knots. So you can't be lardy or you won't go anywhere.”

Before the Princess Sophia regatta this week off Palma, where the conditions are similar to those forecast for Qingdao, the GreatBritain team's training routine is in full tilt. Paul Goodison, who has been selected to race in the Laser class, is barely holding up his shorts on his lean frame but says that he has nearly 10kg to shed before Beijing. After two hours on his bike before a bowl of cereal, he is starving. “I had a bit more weight to lose than normal because I was out with a broken wrist,” he said.

Bryony Shaw, who is competing in the women's windsurfing event, is also spending a lot of time cycling to lose weight and maintain fitness. “I would like to get down below 57kg, but it is difficult because you need your energy levels to be high as it's a very physical event,” she said. “During the Games it will be porridge for breakfast and salads in the evening.”

The sailors have individually tailored diets, comprising fruit, oats, soya, pasta, meat and vegetables, which will be served up in Beijing by an in-house chef. “There are three aims: to reduce body mass while preserving lean tissue, maintain health and maintain energy levels,” Nathan Lewis, the team's physiologist, said. The team may import their own food because of concerns about meat quality in China. “We were told not to eat the chickens because they whack them full of steroids,” Cunningham said.

Last year, Chinese customs officials confiscated £8,000 of meteorological equipment after accusing the team of conducting “illegal” weather tests. Park was not even allowed to take his bike into the country. The team will, however, be taking 12,000 bottles of a specially formulated rehydration sports drink - high in electrolytes - to deal with humidity in Qingdao of nearly 100 per cent. Each sailor drinks five to six litres a day.

The weather is the main challenge for the sailors. The team that won five medals at the Athens Games in 2004 are Britain's most successful. Ben Ainslie, who is going for his third Olympic gold medal, has described the Chinese venue as a “sailor's nightmare”, despite winning both his test events.

The hope is that there is enough wind to produce a credible series, particularly because the RYA believes that it is fielding its strongest team ever, with nine medal hopes in 11 Olympic classes. “As long as they get the majority of races - eight or nine - the likelihood is that the best sailors will be top of their field,” Park said. “If they only get in two or three races, you could end up with some results that look very different. It could even come down to one race.”

Besides matters beyond their control, Britain are also the best-prepared sailing team - one described by Lord Moynihan, the chairman of the British Olympic Association, as the “Formula One” of British Olympic sports.

Increased lottery funding of £1.6million a year and sponsorship of £1million from Skandia, a long-term savings company, means that it can support a backroom staff of more than 40 - from a meteorologist to a physiotherapist - all working to narrow the margins for error.

A ruthless selection policy further means that only the best medal hopes are sent to the Games, where only one individual or team of sailors can represent their country in each class. Britain has world-class talent to spare, meaning that seasoned Olympians such as Shirley Robertson and world champions such as Nic Asher and Elliot Willis will be absent from the start line in Qingdao.

Other British sports can only watch with envy as the “friendly competition” in sailing drives results. “We are blessed with a depth of talent,” Ainslie, who is considered the best sailor of his generation, said. “Part of that comes from funding, the rest comes from just doing all the little things right. We have a strong team culture and a huge amount of experience. Success breeds success and no one wants to be the odd one out.”

Olympic gains

Ben Ainslie (Finn): Aiming for third successive gold medal.

Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson (Yngling): This new combination won gold in Olympic test event in Qingdao last year.

Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield (470): Won silver at test event.

Bryony Shaw (RS:X): Britain’s No 1 in windsurfing class, making its Olympic debut this summer.

Explore More Sport

• Cycling

• Athletics

• Sailing

• US Sport