Perhaps due to his ongoing contract negotiations for 2012, the previously reported participation of Mark Cavendish in Thursday’s Paris-Bourges will not now take place. Directeur sportif Brian Holm has confirmed that the new world champion will make his racing debut in the rainbow jersey in Sunday’s Paris-Tours race.
The Briton has the chance to become both the first-ever British winner of the event and also the first world champion to triumph. Despite being known as the Sprinter’s Classic and many rapid riders having won it, no-one has done so while wearing the prestigious maillot arc en ciel.
Triple world champion Oscar Freire triumphed last year, although that success came in the standard colour of his Rabobank team.
Prior to that, Alessandro Petacchi (2007) and Philippe Gilbert (2008 and 2009) were first to the line.
The race could end up being Cavendish’s final event of the 2011 season. However there is a chance he could end up starting both the Giro di Piemonte on October 13th and the Giro di Lombardia on October 15th.
His HTC Highroad team told VeloNation in recent days that he is scheduled to do both of the single-day events. Holm was a little less committal about the rider taking part in those, although he didn’t rule it out. “It’s still not sure if he will do Piemonte and Lombardia,” he said.
Fans of both races will consequently have to wait a little longer to see if the new world champion will turn up, sign on and ride. Many of the title holders before him have taken part in Lombardia, using the final WorldTour race to display their jersey.