Manxman advised not to participate by medical team, says British Cycling
Image 1 of 5
Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) at the start of Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) at the start of stage 11 at the Tour de France(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mark Cavendish answers a question at the 2018 Tour de France team presentation(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Mark Cavendish (Dimensino Data) gets going again(Image credit: Getty Images)
Dimension Data's Mark Cavendish and race leader Tejay van Garderen share a joke ahead of stage 5 of the 2018 Tour of California(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mark Cavendish has withdrawn from Sunday's European Championships road race in Glasgow, citing medical advice. In a statement released on Thursday, British Cycling said that Cavendish "has been advised by his medical team to withdraw from the Glasgow 2018 European Championships".
Cavendish's early season was ruined by a succession of crashes at the Abu Dhabi Tour, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-San Remo. Although he recovered sufficiently to compete at the Tour de France, the Dimension Data rider didn't win a stage and finished outside the time limit on stage 11.
Cavendish placed 12th in the bunch finish at Ride London 10 days ago, but he has opted not to ride the European Championships. His place in the British team on Sunday will be taken by his fellow Manxman Mark Christian (Aqua Blue Sport).
"It’s incredibly disappointing to have to withdraw from the Great Britain Cycling Team competing in Glasgow. Being selected to compete for my country is a huge honour and I had been looking forward to racing with the team," Cavendish said.
"However, given what’s been a challenging few months in terms of aiming to sufficiently recover from some unfortunate injuries in time to compete I’ve been advised that at this stage the best thing is for me to withdraw from Sunday’s race. I wish the entire team all the very best for the race and I’ll be cheering on with the rest of the country."
The British team for the men’s road race in Glasgow is set to include Adam Blythe, Owain Doull, Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard, Ben Swift and Scott Thwaites.
"Obviously, this is disappointing for Mark, the team and his fans but it's the right decision. Mark’s pride and passion for representing his country is always apparent and we know how much he was looking forward to the race," said British Cycling performance director Stephen Park.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"I’d like to thank Mark Christian for stepping in to the team at short notice, and I’m looking forward to seeing our strong squad take on the men’s road race this Sunday."
If you've ever wanted to know what it feels like to be part of a top-level cycling team, and to be on the ground, inside the barriers, at the Tour de France, then RUNNING WITH WOLVES will take you there. It is available to rent for $3.99 USD or buy for $6.99 USD.
