Mark Cavendish will not ride Milan-Sanremo on Saturday as Fabio Jakobsen has been called into the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl line-up instead. The team was forced to make a change after world champion, and 2019 Milan-Sanremo winner, Julian Alaphilippe had to withdraw from this Saturday's monument due to illness.
Cavendish (36) suggested in his remarks after winning Milano-Torino today that he is not doing a full-on race programme, with all the biggest events, this year as it is his final season in the peloton.
However, having won Milan-Sanremo in 2009 - beating Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo Test Team) in an absolutely epic finish - Cavendish also made it clear today he would have liked another crack at the race but wasn't considered by the team.
"You'll have to ask the team," Cavendish said. "No-one from the team
talked to me about it, so I don't know, I don't know. Obviously, I have won it.
I'd like to do it, but nobody talked to me so…”
Advertisement
Related News
However, he also said he was delighted with his performance today and while he still felt a bit ill after Tirreno-Adriatico he was able to win after a great lead-out.
“I’m really happy; back with Michael Mørkøv again… It’s dialed,
that team. For a one-day race you have to be dialed, there’s only one
opportunity. They send most of the sprint team with Fabio (Jakobsen) all year.
So there’s a solid base of a sprint team for me here, and you’ve seen it’s
incredible, I’m super happy. It’s the first time I raced Milano-Torino and I’m happy.”
When it was put to him after the finish today the sprinters’ Italian classic he would win this year was obviously Milano Torino rather Milan-Sanremo, Cavendish said he liked “winning races” and “it doesn’t matter” which ones he won.
“I’ve already won Milan-San Remo and now I can say that
I’ve won Milano-Torino as well. Normally this is just a hilly race, so to see
my name next to riders who have won this race, that’s quite special.”
