Mark Cavendish heads to the Netherlands tomorrow for the start of the Ster Elektrotoer five-day stage race, but his thoughts are now turning to London and the Tour de France.
The 22 year-old T-Mobile sprinter was never supposed to be in the German team?s Tour squad this year, but after five wins the team?s hand has been forced, and they?ve now told Cavendish to train in the coming weeks as if he is going.
T-Mobile wont announce their final Tour line-up until after the finish of the Tour of Switzerland this coming Sunday, but Cavendish is now in with a real chance of making it. If he does start the three-week race, he would only be expected to make it through the first ten days.
His British team mate Roger Hammond is also in the running for a Tour place, and if they both make it to London on July 7th, there could be six Brits in the race, the most since 1987 when the ANC Halfords team rode.
Cavendish has set himself the target of eight wins this season ? to match Robbie McEwen?s first year tally ? and could add to his palmares at the Ster Elektrotoer race that?s a favourite with the fastmen.
Not that he?ll have it all his own way. His team mates Gerald Ciolek and Bernard Eisel (who recently won two rounds of the Triple Crown in America) will be with him, and, according to Cavendish, whoever has the best form will get the support of the other two.
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Stage
Date
From - To
Length
Prologue
Tuesday June 19
Schijndel
7.6km
Stage 1
Wednesday June 20
Schijndel - Nuth
166km
Stage 2
Thursday June 21
Aachen - Valkenburg
194km
Stage 4
Friday June 22
Verviers ? La Gileppe
192km
Stage 4
Friday June 23
Sittard/Geleen - Eindhoven
149km
Total length ? 708.6km
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Editor of Cycling Weekly magazine, Simon has been working at the title since 2001. He first fell in love with cycling in 1989 when watching the Tour de France on Channel 4, started racing in 1995 and in 2000 he spent one season racing in Belgium. During his time at CW (and Cycle Sport magazine) he has written product reviews, fitness features, pro interviews, race coverage and news. He has covered the Tour de France more times than he can remember along with the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games and many other international and UK domestic races. He became the 134-year-old magazine's 13th editor in 2015 and can still be seen riding bikes around the lanes of Surrey, Sussex and Kent. Albeit a bit slower than before.
