Mark Cavendish will make a decision at the end of this week on how to treat a shoulder injury he suffered in a crash during Stage 6 of the Tour of Britain last Friday.
Cavendish was in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday at the introduction of the jerseys for the Abu Dhabi Tour, the four-stage, 555-kilometre race for which he is the brand ambassador and is due to participate. Cavendish said his preparations had been affected by the injury.
“The shoulder’s worse than I thought, actually, but it’s OK. It’s not broken,” Cavendish said. “It doesn’t need surgery, which is a good start. It’s a separation of the AC joint, which is the same injury as I suffered in the Tour de France last year but not as severe.
“It’s not too bad, but quite painful. It’s affected my preparations quite a lot as it’s hard to ride my bike. I’ll make a call on Friday about what I’m going to do for the rest of the season, whether I need to do anything with the shoulder.”
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Cavendish is one of several of the world’s best riders expected to participate in the Tour from October 8-11.
Organisers are expected to announce the names of the other riders who are taking part tomorrow.
The Abu Dhabi Tour’s three-year agreement with the Velon group of WorldTour teams, one official said, all but guarantees that few of the top names will not be present. WAM, the state news agency, has reported that 18 teams will take part.
Given the make-up of the tour, Cavendish will be considered among the favourites for the red and green jerseys, which are given to the overall winner and fastest rider in terms of time and points.
Three of the stages are flat sprints. The Al Ain stage, the third, incorporates a steep ascent at Jebel Hafeet, where gradients average 7.5 per cent and go as high as 12 per cent.
“The wind plays the biggest factor out here,” Cavendish said. “If you’ve got crosswinds, then it can really cause havoc. But it’s great to race in. I love to race in crosswinds.
“It’s nice because there are big, straight roads and it makes it a little bit more chilled and has less crashes.”
Cavendish has thrived on the flat sprints of the region’s races – he won the Dubai Tour in February this year and the Tour of Qatar in 2013.
Understandably, he is looking forward to the latest addition to the region’s cycling calendar.
“It’s great to race in emerging countries which don’t have a big cycling history,” he said. “I love it here. I won the Dubai Tour and when I heard about the Abu Dhabi Tour I was super excited.”
The race weekend ends with the capital hosting the inaugural UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) Cycling Gala.
osamiuddin@thenational.ae
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