Mark Cavendish 'excited' at prospect of riding with Wiggins again on the track (video)
Mark Cavendish enthusiastic about riding on the track again with his former Madison World Champion partner Bradley Wiggins, and talks about the forthcoming Six Day London event
Mark Cavendish has talked about his rekindled track cycling partnership with Sir Bradley Wiggins, saying that he is excited at the prospect of them riding together again in the near future.
Cavendish explained how he and Wiggins complement each other's strengths in the Madison event, where riders compete in pairs. The duo recently won the Madison at the opening round of the Revolution Track Series in Derby, the first time they have ridden together in the discipline since the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing - the same year the pair won the world title.
Cavendish and Wiggins failed to win a medal in the Madison in Beijing, finishing ninth, which led to a period of animosity between the two. Cavendish was the only member of the GB track squad not to return home with a medal - Olympic gold is the one thing obviously missing from Cavendish's extensive palmarès. However, any falling out is now long forgotten.
>>> British Cycling supportive of Mark Cavendish track return
"We have always been good friends and we rode a Madison quite recently and we won it, in fact quite convincingly," said Cavendish.
"We complement each other’s styles really well. I am a fast finisher, a sprinter and Bradley has got the ability as a track cyclist and is able to stay the whole at a high pace for a long amount of time. I think you put those two together and you come up with a formidable team and it would be exciting to ride with Brad again."
Cavendish is currently enduring an enforced recovery period after a shoulder operation to correct an injury sustained at on stage six of the Tour of Britain, when he crashed into a parked car. It means that he will have to miss the forthcoming Six Day London track event in mid-October, but tips British pair Adam Blythe and Germain Burton to light up the event.
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“Adam is a good friend of mine and he’s a great talent who has won races on the road and on the track," said Cavendish. "He is incredibly fast and I think his characteristics suit what's needed to be successful in Six Day races."
"I have been training with Germain this year and I have seen him race, the guy has got balls, he puts himself out there. It's his home city and he'll have a point to prove."
Cavendish is joining Team Dimension Data - formerly known as MTN-Qhubeka - for the next three seasons. The squad has reportedly given Cavendish the green light to compete on the track, but with the Madison no longer part of the Olympic programme, Cavendish is seeking selection for the multi-discipline omnium for the 2016 Games in Rio.
Six Day London is at Lee Valley VeloPark between October 18-23 - tickets are now on sale at www.sixday.com. See the world's best track cyclists in action and be part of an electric party atmosphere at London's Olympic Velodrome.
Additional reporting by James Gray/SportsBeat
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Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
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