Cavendish in doubt for World Championships after Tour of Britain crash

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Mark Cavendish has revealed in an interview with Cyclingnews that the shoulder injury he suffered during the Tour of Britain could be worse than initially thought and could mean that he has to miss out on the World Championships. Cavendish was forced to abandon when he collided with a parked car during the sixth stage of the British stage race and landed on his shoulder.

First reports revealed that nothing had been broken but he has struggled to recover in the following days. The injury will not require any further action other than rest and recuperation but he only has until Friday when the team will make a decision on his participation. “I am bit nervous actually about my shoulder. It’s not like it was at the Tour de France last year but they think it’s worse than initially feared so I am going to get it checked out on Friday and if it’s not that much better,” Cavendish told Cyclingnews. “I am still on the home trainer at the moment. I can’t really get on the road with it, I can’t put any weight on it.

“It’s a problem with the AC joint, nothing is broken but with the joint there has been a displacement. At the Tour I had a grade four separation, which meant that all three of the ligaments had ruptured and it needed surgery. This doesn’t need surgery but it’s a similar injury to what I had last year and what Tom Boonen had in Paris-Nice.”

The news comes days after Geraint Thomas pulled out of the World Championships due to fatigue. The classics-style course would have been well suited to the Welshman, who dominated in the early-season races in Belgium. It is thought that it could favour some sprinters also but the uphill finish means that Cavendish is unlikely to feature in the finale. However, the Manxman believes that, should he make the start, he can still play a role.

“When the Worlds were in Valkenburg, were in Florence, I did a job for the team but all I can really do is ride early on. I am not going to be there late on to play a role on a course I know I can’t win on, that’s will always be my role,” Cavendish said.

Cavendish adds that, despite Thomas choosing to skip the event, Great Britain still field a strong team for Richmond. “We have a good group of guys going with the depth in British Cycling now. Especially with the guys who can ride the Classics. You have [Ian] Stannard, ok G’s out now, Steve Cummings … Luke Rowe is incredible at putting people in position and being there. You always saw him the front at the Classics this year. It’s really exciting. It’s a good group of people actually.”

The World Championships are not the only thing on Cavendish’s mind at the moment as he still to sign a contract for next season. There has been lots of speculation about his destination but he says that nothing is certain yet.

“I’ll tell you the truth that I don’t know right now. There’s not much to talk about, there’s not much there. Hopefully there’s something there in the next few weeks,” he told Cyclingnews. “More than saying I know something and I can’t tell, I really don’t know. Hopefully I have a job next year.”

Listen to this week's Cyclingnews podcast, with the full Cavendish interview, below or download it to your device from iTunes, and click here to subscribe to the podcast so you get it first.