Mark Cavendish on training for Rio and how track speed might help him on the road

More time on the track and hopefully also seeing the benefits of that on the road – these are the things Mark Cavendish hopes to gain from his move to what is currently MTN-Qhubeka and will soon become Team Dimension Data.

An Olympic medal remains a major goal for the Manxman, who told The Telegraph that the main reason why he wants one is so that the press stop asking him questions about it.

After missing out in the Madison in partnership with Bradley Wiggins in 2008, he also found himself marked out of the road race in 2012. “To be fair, it has got to the point that even if it’s in synchronised swimming… an Olympic medal is the only thing I’m missing,” he says.

Cavendish already has the points necessary to ride at Track World Cup events this autumn and now needs to finish just 24th or higher in one such event to qualify for Rio. After that, it’s up to the selectors. Two-time Olympic team pursuit gold medallist Ed Clancy won bronze in the omnium in 2012 and plans to ride again.

“It’s no formality,” says Cavendish. “That’s what people have to understand. Ed is a brilliant rider. I can’t just say: ‘I’m doing the Olympics.’ But at least the door is open.”

Cavendish’s ambition to ride the omnium at times brought him into conflict with Etixx-Quick Step team manager Patrick Lefevere, who made it clear that he was paid to ride on the road. Cavendish is hoping to get more time on the track at his new team to the extent that he’s even looking into renting a flat in Manchester to be near the velodrome. However, he also hopes that track speed will translate into improved results on the road.

“I feel the benefits every time when I go from the track to the road. But I can understand why Patrick Lefevere didn’t let me do it so much. He is a businessman and he was paying me a lot of money. To be fair, I have so much respect for Patrick. He’s blunt like me but he doesn’t say something that he wouldn’t say to my face. When I had lulls he always supported me. He built the team for me, he got the riders in I wanted. You know? We get on really well actually.”

However, one potential stumbling block on the road to Olympic success is that whoever rides the omnium may also need to be ‘fifth man’ for the team pursuit. Cavendish says he’s built for the event and is going to do some efforts with the team, but admits to having reservations.

“It’s more that I don’t want to let down the team. Even if you did half the training that the other guys do, to come into a group that works that hard together… I’ve never been like that. I appreciate working hard as a group.”