Mark Cavendish says he had been more confident going into this Sunday's World Championships road race than he had ahead of his successful title bid in 2011. However, the Manxman says that his confidence has taken a bit of a hit after he fell ill earlier this month.
Cavendish's preparation for the World Championships was disrupted by the illness which forced him to pull out of Münsterland Giro and Paris-Bourges. He rode just one pre-Worlds race at Paris-Tour, where he finished sixth. Cavendish says that it has had an impact on his power, but he still believes he's in with a chance of taking home the rainbow jersey.
"It has affected my top-end power. Four days in bed and five or six days off training is less than ideal. Before I was ill, I had more confidence than I did going into Copenhagen with my form, and the strength that we have as a team," he told a handful of press on Friday evening.
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"It has knocked my confidence, being sick, but I wouldn't be here if I didn't think that we could win. But I was pretty convinced that we had the best opportunity a few weeks ago. The form is ok, we've got to have a try, and I'm lucky that I've got the strongest team in the race."
If Cavendish were to win on Sunday, it would put him in an elite group of one. It would make him the only British two-time holder of the rainbow jersey, and he would be the first male rider to win world titles on both the track and the road in the same calendar year. Beryl Burton achieved that success in 1960 winning the road race title and individual pursuit title, while Belgian rider Yvonne Reynders completed the achievement the year after.
"That's the thing that appeals the most," said Cavendish. "A world title is a world title, regardless of where you're from. I'm proud to be British and I'm proud to represent the GB jersey. I have so much respect for the rainbow jersey that to be able to pull on two in the same year would be pretty special. I can't take it for granted as a given that I'm going to be even close to getting a medal. You've just got to go out there and race. There are a lot of strong teams here, but luck can play quite a big factor. We've got to race the best that we can and we’ll see what happens."
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