Cavendish back in action at Sparkassen Munsterland Giro

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Dimension Data will line out at the 1.HC Sparkassen Münsterland Giro Wednesday with a strong sprint team headlined by Mark Cavendish. While Cavendish would normally be considered as a favourite, the 'manx missile' recently told Cyclingnews he is "not chasing success" in his last road races of the season.

A Tour de France crash on stage 4 saw Cavendish sustain a serious shoulder injury from which he is still recovering. After a handful of Italian races last week, Cavendish will race the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro and Paris-Tours this weekend before lining out at the Six Day London later in the month.

With Cavendish likely on domestique duty for Dimension Data, the South African team can count on Ryan Gibbons and Scott Thwaites as fast finishers in a sprint finish. Road captain Bernie Eisel, Jay Thompson, Adrien Niyonshuti, Johann van Zyl, and stagiaire Nicolas Dlamini will round out the team in Germany.

The race will be Dlamini's penultimate as a stagiaire with Dimension Data before joining the team as a professional from 2018. The 22-year-old is yet to race with Cavendish and explained he is excited by the prospect.

"I can't wait to race Munsterland tomorrow, I think it will be a good race for us and I'm sure we can get a result as a team," said Dlamini, the mountains jersey winner at the Baby Giro. "Personally, to be racing alongside Mark Cavendish is a dream come true for me. I used to watch him on television when I was younger and now tomorrow, we race as teammates at Munsterland. I still have to pinch myself a little when I think that these will be the guys on my team next year so it is really motivating. I look forward to helping the team tomorrow and learning as much as I can."

Dimension Data for Sparkassen Munsterland Giro: Bernie Eisel, Jay Thompson, Adrien Niyonshuti, Mark Cavendish, Ryan Gibbons, Johann van Zyl, Scott Thwaites and Nicolas Dlamini.