Mark Cavendish to ride Milan-San Remo and Ghent-Wevelgem

Mark Cavendish will line up for this year’s Milan-San Remo (March 23) and Ghent-Wevelgem (March 30), his Omega Pharma-QuickStep team confirmed on Tuesday.

Cavendish’s inclusion in the Belgian’ team’s line-up for Milan-San Remo comes after the race’s organiser confirmed that the Pompeiana had been removed from the route as its road surface was deemed unsafe.

“Without the Pompeiana, the route is back to being suitable to the skills of athletes like Mark,” said Omega Pharma-QuickStep sport and development manager Rolf Aldag. “After San Remo, Mark will participate in Ghent-Wevelgem. The Flemish classic also underwent a slight variation to the route that could favor the arrival in the final sprint.”

Cavendish won Milan-San Remo in 2009, and it remains his biggest one-day race win to date. “I’m very happy to be riding in Milano-San Remo, on the same route where I watched my heroes race and win when I was a kid,” he commented.

“It will be fun and stimulating to ride on this route, which is making this race the only Classics monument for the sprinters. I’m also very happy to race in Belgium. I’ve never won Ghent-Wevelgem. The route for this race has gone back to how it used to be, too.”

Cavendish’s participation in Milan-San Remo and Ghent-Wevelgem comes after he lines up for Strade Bianche (March 8) and Tirreno-Adriatico (March 12-18). After Ghent-Wevelgem he will take part in Driedaagse van De Panne (April 1-3) and Scheldeprijs (April 9), the latter of which Cavendish has won on three occasions (2007, 2008 and 2011).

Cavendish took his first win of the season in the Tour of the Algarve, sprinting to win stage five.

Mark Cavendish winning the 2009 edition of Milan-San Remo ahead of Heinrich Haussler