Mark Cavendish says he's unlikely to feature for Great Britain in the team pursuit on the track this coming Thursday, despite being the fifth man in the squad.
Sir Bradley Wiggins, Owain Doull, Steven Burke and Ed Clancy are the four key riders for the event, with Cavendish brought into the endurance squad to focus on the omnium.
Often teams will field their fifth man in the early qualifying round to try and keep a rider fresh for later in the competition, but Cavendish believes the tightly knit four will ride every round having trained together full time all year, while the Manxman has been on the road.
>>> Mark Cavendish: Lizzie Armitstead absolutely at fault for whereabouts failures
Cavendish is likely to only serve as a back-up should one ride be unable to compete.
“I think the lads have been training together and they want to try and do [it]," he told Sky Sports News (opens in new tab). "If something happens to them then I’ll ride.
"Especially Brad has been super stressed; he wants to be the hero and all that. I’m kind of just doing the omnium stuff now I think."
31-year-old Cavendish has not won an Olympic medal, having missed out in the madison in Beijing in 2008 and in the road race at London 2012, and says that he's "a little bit" disappointed not to be featuring in the team pursuit.
His early exit from the Tour on the second rest day in Berne, which denied him a chance at a fifth career win on the Champs Élysées in Paris on the final stage, was down to preparation for the team pursuit.
“If I’m honest, that’s the reason I left the Tour early, because of the team pursuit," Cavendish added.
"For the Omnium, finishing the Tour would have been a benefit.
“At the end of the day I qualified for the Olympics for the Omnium anyway, so I’ll concentrate on the Omnium. That’s what I was aiming for the whole time. The team pursuit was a bonus to that anyway.”
The opening round of the team pursuit is on Thursday in Rio, with Cavendish set to make his first appearance in the games in the first event of the omnium on Sunday.
Thank you for reading 10 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
-
-
Extinction Rebellion stages anti-Shell protest at British Track Champs
Two people carried a banner through the stands at Newport's Geraint Thomas National Velodrome
-
60% of motorists unaware of Highway Code changes, one year after introduction
Charity Cycling UK has called on the government to raise awareness of the updates
-
Speed Demons of the peloton: The six best sprinters of 2022
We take a look at the standout performers of the fast men and women in the professional scene this year
-
Where next for Mark Cavendish after B & B Hotels-KTM's collapse?
We look at where the ‘Manx Missile’ could find himself next after the collapse of B & B Hotels-KTM
-
British UCI Continental team makes pitch for Mark Cavendish’s signature
Saint Piran boss Ricci Pascoe says he would gladly provide a short term place for Cavendish, if it helped him to achieve Tour de France dream
-
B&B Hotels, the team that was set to sign Mark Cavendish, collapses
Multiple riders left scrambling to find places on alternative teams after demise of French ProTeam confirmed
-
B&B Hôtels boss: 'Mark Cavendish wants to be with us. I want him to be with us.'
Team's hunt for sponsors intensifies after missing UCI registration deadline
-
Time running out for B & B Hotels, the team expected to sign Mark Cavendish
Team still without major sponsors as UCI impose deadline of 22 November for team to complete registration for new season
-
Movistar quick to quash Mark Cavendish signing report
Italian press speculation over future of sprinter denied by Spanish team
-
Mark Cavendish: Tour de France 2023 has 'ample opportunities for bunch sprints'
Fast man thinks there might be seven or eight sprint chances, but he has to find a team first
