Mark Cavendish will have to wait at least one more year before chasing Eddy Merckx’s record 34 Tour de France stage wins after being left out of his team’s line-up today.
Dimension Data’s team roster for this year’s tour, which starts in Brussels on Saturday, does not include the 34-year-old, who has collected 30 stage wins since his debut in 2007.
It will be the first time that Cavendish – who showed poor form in the Tour of California that ultimately led to his abandonment – will not compete in the 21-stage event.
Dimension Data’s Mark Cavendish was left out of his team’s line-up for this year’s Tour de France. Photo: Stiehl Photography
Cavendish has been on the road to recovery ever since being diagnosed with the Epstein-Barr virus in April 2017. After resuming racing, he crashed out of the Tour de France three months later.
He was eliminated from the 2018 race when finished outside the time limit on stage 11 and, a month later, Cavendish took another break from the sport to sort out his health.
His last victory came on stage three of the Dubai Tour in February last year and his best result this season is third on stage three of the Tour of Turkey in April.
View the team’s full line-up for the 2019 Tour de France.
We are delighted to “cap” the 8 riders that will represent @TeamDiData at @LeTour!🖐️ #BicyclesChangeLives #CapsOn4Qhubeka
Full Announcement: https://t.co/JDkilmUGUn pic.twitter.com/GiYpLSkXsd
— Team Dimension Data (@TeamDiData) July 2, 2019
