Mark Cavendish is at the Dimension Data get together in Cape Town, South Africa this week, but while most of his teammates have already started training for 2017, the Manxman only wrapped up his long 2016 season after winning the Gent Six with Bradley Wiggins, and so is taking some time out of the saddle.
Cavendish will start his training in early December. His only holiday will be a VIP trip to see this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix and then a week in the sun in the Gulf state with his wife, Peta. He has purposely avoided riding his bike this week but has been kept busy as the team prepares for 2017 and a second season in the WorldTour.
“It’s still feels like the end of the 2016 season for me but I know it’s also the start of the 2017 season,” Cavendish told Cyclingnews.
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“Some of the guys have already started training while I’ve only just finished racing. It feels a little strange not riding my bike but I think I’ve earned some time off.
“There’s a really nice vibe in the team this week. We’ve been celebrating the 2016 season with a few drinks and working for 2017. Our sponsors are really happy but at the same time we have to perform next season too. Sometimes the second season is harder than the first and we’ve got to prove that we weren’t lucky in 2016, that our success came thanks to some hard work and a great set up.”
The week in Cape Town has also seen the unveiling of the new Dimension Data jersey and importantly the handing over of several hundred bikes to African children as part of the team’s Qhubeka charity work. The team has raised funds to supply more than 5,000 bikes during the 2016 season and each of the 28 riders personally handed over a bike on Thursday afternoon.
Building on the success of 2016
Feeling the fatigue
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