Judging by his pre-race talk, it appears that concerns that Mark Cavendish’s world championship preparation had been compromised by his early exit from the Vuelta a España could be unfounded. The Briton pulled out exhausted just four stages into the Spanish event, disrupting his buildup for the worlds, but has said that he is in his ‘best-ever’ form going to Copenhagen.
Quoted by the Guardian and ESPN following his final-stage victory in the Tour of Britain and prior to heading to Denmark, Cavendish said he was very upbeat about where he was.
“I'm confident, I've got the strongest team I can possibly hope for so there is nothing more I can do now, nothing I can be worried about,” he said. “The biggest thing to contend with is probably a crash. There are some riders who probably won't be in the same form that I'm in – Tyler Farrar for instance – so you've got to be worried they don't wipe out.”
Like Cavendish, Farrar also pulled out of the Vuelta early on. The American rider suffered severe contusions to his hip when he tangled with Vacansoleil rider Michal Golas at the finish of stage seven, and dropped out the following day.
The past ten world champions have used the Vuelta a España as their preparation for the worlds, either completing all or most of the race. Both Cavendish and Farrar know that their rivals have followed a more traditional pre-worlds buildup, yet the Manxman believes there could be advantages to the way he has done things.
“It stopped me overdoing it like last year,” he said, referring to his Vuelta ride in 2010. “It's too hard and there were crashes, you see Farrar wipe everyone out on one day, guys with broken hands, and there was [Tom] Boonen's crash as well.
“The Tour of Britain was perfect preparation. After the Vuelta I was able to train as I wanted, control the training, then I came here [to the British Tour], and there were some savage hills to sharpen up my form.”
One difference this year is that the Vuelta has ended a week earlier than in the past. The change in date started last year to accommodate the riders flying to the championships in Australia, and has remained. In contrast, the Tour of Britain ended one week before the worlds, and the riders who raced there will hope that gives them the right balance between sharpness and recovery.
Cavendish took the first and last stages in the British race and finished a solid 13th overall, showing his form is good. He knows that this year’s worlds is possibly the best chance in his career to win the rainbow jersey and to emulate Tom Simpson, who took gold in 1965.
Right now he’s resting, building his focus. In five day’s time he’ll find out if his form, his team and his tactics will see him hit the line first.