With selection for the Tour de France not guaranteed and potentially dependent on his performance in Sunday’s British National Championships road race, Mark Cavendish has been riding the roads of his home island, the Isle of Man.
The Dimension Data rider was spotted on Friday morning at Ballaugh Bridge riding alongside his teammate Steve Cummings – the winner of Thursday evening’s National Championships time trial – Ben Swift (UAE-Emirates) and Ian Stannard (Team Sky).
Cavendish returned to racing at the Tour of Slovenia last week after a three-month absence because of glandular fever. He finished second on the fourth and final stage.
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Dimension Data have previously said that Cavendish might not make their Tour squad because of his lack of racing and his condition being largely unknown.
Roger Hammond, his DS, told Cycling Weekly on Thursday that he knew just as much about Cavendish’s condition as the public did.
The Manx Missile is hoping to win his second red, white and blue stripes in the Isle of Man on Sunday. The men complete two laps of the island’s famed TT circuit before riding 10 times around a lumpy criterium-like circuit in Douglas.
Swift, who came second on Alpe d’Huez at the Critérium du Dauphiné earlier this month behind Pete Kennaugh (Team Sky), is the favourite for the race.
Cummings, who beat Alex Dowsett (Movistar) to the time trial title by just eight seconds, is also being hotly-tipped for the road race title and to complete the double.
Stannard, meanwhile, is out to bounce back from his omission from Sky’s Tour de France squad
