Great Britain's mastermind believes Manxman can do both road and track
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Mark Cavendish (Etixx-QuickStep) finally takes his Tour de France stage (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The winner of stage 7, Mark Cavendish (Etixx-Quick Step) on the podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins won the Madison World Championship in 2008(Image credit: Stephen McMahon)
Race winners Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins(Image credit: Swpix)
Mark Cavendish slingshots Bradley Wiggins into the race(Image credit: Swpix)
Not heading for the door just yet - Coach Shane Sutton watches the GB team have a good day(Image credit: Gerry McManus)
Wise words from British coach Shane Sutton to defending sprint world champion Victoria Pendleton.(Image credit: Gerry McManus)
Mark Cavendish’s future may not be set in stone, and if it is it certainly is not public knowledge, but should he decide to aim for the Rio Olympics in 2016, he will find no greater supporter that coach Shane Sutton.
Cavendish has not yet signed a contract with a trade team for 2016, while at the same time his options for competing in Rio are unresolved. The next few days, weeks and months will determine and shape the next phase in his career. In a recent interview with Cyclingnews he stressed the importance that the Tour de France held in his life and his heart but the chance to ride in Rio remains, realistically, his last chance to win an Olympic medal.
Wiggins working to be part of Rio team
As for Wiggins, according to Sutton, he continues to impress in training. The former Tour de France winner has had a transition of a season in some ways but also set a new UCI Hour Record, started his own team, and found his feet once more on the track.
“It’s not a walk in the park for Brad. I know him very well and he’s really applying himself. I’m quite sure that he’s going to be on that plane to Rio. Whether he’s in the starting line-up I don’t know, because that will be down to the coach and the selectors and it will be an evidence-based decision. He’s slotted back in well, he’s great to have around the team and they’ve lifted themselves because they know that they can train with one of the best bike riders of all time.”
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
