Mark Cavendish admits his chances of victory at this year's Milan-San Remo are slim after a delayed start to his training and a gradual start to his racing. However, he describes himself as a ‘wild card' in Dimension Data's selection for La Classicissima, knowing that he has the experience to win if the event turns into a controlled sprinters' race.
Cavendish won Milan-San Remo in his debut appearance in 2009. He was on great form and managed to stay in the front group, despite attacks on the Cipressa and Poggio climbs. He moved up through the peloton in final kilometres and then sprinted late to catch and narrowly beat Heinrich Haussler.
The Manxman has gone on to win 145 races, including the world title in 2011 and 30 stages at the Tour de France, but that Milan-San Remo win remains special. He is ready to race for 291 kilometres Saturday even if he sees himself with little chance of victory.
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"Even if I'm not in top form, I'm still going to ride. Even if I'm not option A for the team they may as well take me as a wild card. There's always a chance of winning Milan-San Remo. You just never know," Cavendish told Cyclingnews.
"I'm not on great form but I know the route, I know how the race unfolds. That always helps, so we'll see what I can do."
Cavendish has raced for 20 days so far in 2017, winning a stage at the Dubai Tour and landing other placings in sprints. However, after his long season of success on the track and the road in 2016 – he raced and trained constantly from November to November – he needed time to recover during the winter and so has gradually eased into the 2017 season.
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