Mark Cavendish abandons UAE Tour due to illness

Mark Cavendish

Mark Cavendish was a non-starter on the penultimate stage of the UAE Tour due to illness. Astana-Qazaqstan said that the Manxman had reported a fever on Saturday morning and the decision was taken to withdraw him from the race.

“[Cavendish] won’t start today due to a sickness,” read a statement from Astana-Qazaqstan on social media. “The rider felt a small fever this morning and after discussion, [sports directors] and medical staff decided to let the rider time to recover better ahead of his next races.”

The next race on Cavendish’s schedule is Tirreno-Adriatico, and he is also expected to line out at Milano-Torino, Brugge-De Panne and Scheldeprijs this Spring.

His build-up to the Tour de France, meanwhile, will include training camps in Greece and Sierra Nevada, as well as participation at the Tour of Hungary in May and another stage race in June, most likely the Tour de Suisse.

Cavendish had announced his retirement from cycling last year, but he walked back the decision after crashing out of the Tour, signing on with Astana for another year. The team has since shown its backing for Cavendish by adding Michael Mørkøv to his lead-out unit and reuniting him with coach Vasilis Anastopoulos.

“He’s more relaxed, he doesn’t have to fight for his position anymore,” Anastopoulos told Cyclingnews after Cavendish’s stint in Colombia earlier this month. “He’s already known his programme for this year since September, the programme he has to follow all the way until the Tour de France.”

Cavendish began his season in Colombia, where he spent three weeks training at altitude before competing at the Tour Colombia, claiming victory on stage 4 in Zipaquirá.

He had yet to make an impact in the bunch sprints at this week’s UAE Tour, though Saturday’s stage had offered a final opportunity for the fast men. Cavendish arrived at the start of stage 6 with his Astana-Qazaqstan team, but he ultimately decided to withdraw from the race due to illness.