Mark Cavendish headed home from the Dubai Tour without a stage victory but satisfied with his series of placings, revealing to Cyclingnews that he has yet to do any intensity training, and that his season is centered on the Tour de France.
The Dimension Data rider enjoyed one of his best ever seasons in 2016, winning four stages at the Tour de France, finishing second to Peter Sagan in the World Championships and taking a silver medal in the Omnium at the Rio Olympics. Cavendish worked hard on the track and the road during a 12-month season, finishing his racing with victory in the Gent Six in late November.
As a result his 2017 season will follow a gradual build-up with success at the Tour de France again the major goal for him and Dimension Data. Anything else is a plus and his success of 2016 means he can shrug off any criticism and avoid being envious of his sprint rivals if they win early and often in the spring.
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“The team has been good in the sprints and my form is better than I thought it would be. It’s not that I’m about to win stages of the Tour de France right now but things are good,” Cavendish told Cyclingnews after posing for a series of selfies and photos with fans on the final day of the Dubai Tour.
“In Dubai things were a bit nervous in the sprints, but I know my legs are there. I made the front echelon on stage 3 when it kicked off and so that’s a good sign.”
Cavendish finished third on the first stage of the Dubai Tour, seventh on stage 2 and fourth on the final stage on Sunday. However the statistics reveal only one side to his true condition. He was well positioned in every sprint but was affected by a slow puncture on stage 1, was boxed in on stage 2 and then endured a gear problem as he prepared to jump from Kittel’s slipstream in the final sprint.
Still hungry for success
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