Former champion Mark Cavendish has pulled out of the road cycling world championships after the sprint specialist failed to recover from a shoulder injury.
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“I really don’t know”, Cavendish said at an event to promote next month’s Abu Dhabi Tour, according to the Telegraph. After a while, however, the pain began to affect his training. “It wasn’t hanging off like past year “.
Cavendish tweeted Friday that he was “Absolutely devastated to have to pull out of the (hashtag)Richmond2015 World Champs next week due to my shoulder injury sustained last week”. Cavendish was seen as the team’s leading hope for a medal on a course that is deemed favourable for sprinters. On another level, it further whittles down the ranks of Elite British riders competing in Richmond.
In that light, it’s also a loss for British cycling authorities, not just the team.
British Cycling’s coaching, education and development director John Mills said: “With less than one year to go until the Olympic and Paralympic Games, having another facility of this standard reflects the great progress that has been made in cycling infrastructure here in the UK”. The 30-year-old from the Isle of Man won the 2011 title – emulating Tom Simpson’s 1965 success – and had a chance of victory in Richmond, Virginia, but collided into a stationary vehicle at the Tour of Britain last week. “We need him to pass on the knowledge to the next generation which will stand them in good stead”.
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British Cycling added Adam Yates to its roster as a replacement for Thomas in the September 27 road race.
