Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) will make his return to racing at the Tour de Yorkshire next month after recovering from a series of injuries sustained earlier in the season.
The Manxman crashed in dramatic fashion at Milan-San Remo in March, colliding with a traffic bollard on the approach to the Poggio. He was forced to abandon the race with a broken rib and damaged ankle.
This followed severe crashes at both the Abu Dhabi Tour and Tirreno-Adriatico earlier in the season in which the 32-year old sustained fracturing to his ribs and concussion. The culmination of these injuries saw Cavendish decide to take a longer period away from racing.
It was expected that Cavendish would make his return to the peloton at the Tour of California on 13th May however, Dimension Data have announced that recovery has gone better than expected and that he will be able to return in Yorkshire on 3rd May.
The return of Cavendish was much to the delight of Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Gary Verity with his high-profile status drawing much attention outside of the cycling world to the race.
'Mark [Cavendish] is a living legend in the world of cycling and we’re over the moon that he will be competing at the Tour de Yorkshire next month,' said Verity.
'His crash in Italy looked really serious but he’s such a tough, tenacious character and we’re thrilled he’s been able to make such a speedy recovery,' adding, 'I’m sure Mark will have his eyes on at least two of the stages on this year’s route and we can’t wait to see him launch his trademark sprint.'
For Cavendish, being able to return to Yorkshire is particularly special considering his roots to the county with his mother being from Harrogate and the rider living there himself in his youth.
'I’m delighted to have recovered sufficiently from my injuries at Milan -San Remo to be back racing sooner than I initially thought and what better way to do that than at what could be described as a home race for me, the Tour de Yorkshire,' said Cavendish.
'My mother’s from Harrogate and obviously the last time I raced things didn’t go that great (for me) in the 2014 Tour de France; but one thing I do remember is the incredible crowds and I know that the Tour de Yorkshire always provides,
It’s the first time that I’ve raced the Tour de Yorkshire and I’m extremely excited.'
Dimension Data will be hoping for Cavendish to be competitive on the two sprint days while also defending their overall title won by Belgian Serge Pauwels in 2017.