Mark Cavendish replaces Tom Boonen in Tour of Qatar

Mark Cavendish wins Tour de San Luis stage one 2013

Mark Cavendish will replace OmegaPharma-Quick Step team-mate Tom Boonen in the Tour of Qatar, February 3 to 8, according to L'Equipe. The four-time winner is forced to miss due to an elbow injury.

"I feel sorry for Eddy Merckx and the race organization there. Everybody knows how much I like this race, but I really can't make it," Boonen said in a press release. "First, I need to recover 100 per cent physically and then start training again to see how things go. I will look into the best schedule to prepare for the Classics at the end of next week, and then I will decide with the team which will be the best approach."

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Gregor Brown

Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.