Mark Cavendish to miss Scheldeprijs as illness continues to affect schedule

Mark Cavendish will make a return to competitive action at the Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye later this month after a period of sickness impacted his schedule in recent weeks. 

An update from his Astana Qazaqstan team confirmed that he will miss Scheldeprijs on Wednesday, a race he has won multiple times, but he will make a gentle return to competitive action in Turkey when the race gets underway on 21 April.

"After being sick for several weeks following the Tirreno-Adriatico and Milano-Torino, Mark Cavendish has resumed his training, continuing his preparation for his biggest goals of the season," said Vasilis Anastopoulos, head of performance at Astana, in a statement from the team. 

"The team has adapted the racing plan, and as a result, Mark will miss the classic race Scheldeprijs and will instead spend some time at a training camp. 

"After that, he plans to compete in the Presidential Cycling Tour of Türkiye and then the Tour de Hongrie."

Since winning at the Tour Colombia in early February, Cavendish has endured a difficult period due to illness. Cavendish pulled out of the UAE Tour later in February before later riding Tirreno-Adriatico. After missing the time cut on stage five, Cavendish was forced to quit Tirreno. 

Cavendish then rode Milano-Torino, which was won by EF Education-EasyPost’s Alberto Bettiol, but abandoned the race after suffering with flu-like symptoms. The Manxman told Cyclingnews that a cold had disrupted his training. 

Milano-Torino was his last competitive appearance at the sports top level. But since then, Cavendish was seen riding in an amateur race on the Isle of Man in which he finished 29th. A competitor in the Nick Corkill Memorial Race told Cycling Weekly that Cavendish’s presence was surreal. 

"When I turned up, I could see his bike, and that was the tell tale sign," said James Meakin, one of the day's competitors. "It's weird to see an elite pro like him, and his bike, outside a village hall, pinning on a number with all the amateurs. But there he was, chilling casual like any other amateur road racer."

Cavendish’s main goal of the season is a record breaking 35th Tour de France stage win. He came within just a few metres of sealing the record breaking victory last year but missed out due to a late mechanical issue with his bike. 

He was initially set to retire at the end of last season but opted to extend his career for one final year in order to make one last attempt at the all important 35th stage win. He is currently tied on 34 wins with Eddy Merckx.