BRITISH RIDER Mark Cavendish feels that his form heading into the 2012 Tour de France is the best it has been in years.
The 27-year-old — who won the green jersey at the 2011 Tour — has won 20 stages of the race in the past four years.
The reigning UCI world road race champion is not solely focused on the Tour though, with the lure of winning gold at the 2012 London Olympics also very tempting for the Manxman.
Cavendish has lost four kilograms in his preparation for the Olympics, stripping him of some of his power ahead of a busy period of cycling.
“I’ve got other goals than the Tour de France,” Cavendish said. ”It’s going to be a long July. My form is really good, best it’s been for a few years coming into the Tour. I’ve got a lot of wins this year and I’m excited to start. I should be at a lot more finishes than I have been in the past.
“I lost a bit of power, but there’s no point having power if you’re not going to get to the finish. I might not absolutely dominate the sprints but I should be there or thereabouts.”
The Olympic road race will be held on 28 July, just six days after the Tour de France finishes. The Team Sky rider is largely focused on supporting his teammate Bradley Wiggins at the Tour, with the latter the favourite to win the event that begins in Liege on Saturday.
“I probably won’t win as much personally, in stages, but to be part of a team that holds real ambitions of winning the Tour de France overall, it’s an honour for any bike rider,” he said.
“In Bradley we’ve got the biggest chance we’ll ever have as a nation, with a British team and with a British rider. It’s exciting to go in and follow that ambition.
“I always knew Bradley had an opportunity of doing well at the Tour de France and a big aim was to win the Tour de France for Sky. Now it’s an aim of winning the yellow jersey and green jersey in the next years. What a position to be in.”
