Team Sky have confirmed five of their riders will be competing at the British National Road Race Championships on Sunday – but world champion Mark Cavendish is absent from the start list.
Nine of Team Sky’s ten British riders – all expect defending national champion Bradley Wiggins – were on the provisional start list for the 182km race in Ampleforth, North Yorkshire.
But Cavendish, who claimed his first overall stage race victory at the weekend at the ZLM Toer, and Chris Froome will miss the race to fine-tune their Tour de France preparations, while Geraint Thomas and Pete Kennaugh have returned to the track for their final block of training ahead of the Olympic Games, leaving Alex Dowsett, Jeremy Hunt, Luke Rowe, Ian Stannard and Ben Swift to contest the nationals.
Hunt will start the race in search of a third triumph having previous won in 1997 and 2001, while Stannard, in fine form after riding the Giro d’Italia and winning the London IG Nocturne, is looking to make it third time lucky after top five finishes in 2010 and 2011, with Team Sky riders filling the podium in both years.
“The riders that have entered this year are all looking forward to it and every one of them will be going all-out to take the victory,” said Team Sky race coach Rod Ellingworth. “It’s an honour to wear the national colours and if a Team Sky rider can make it three wins from three, it’ll be a massive achievement.
“In an ideal world we’d have our full British contingent competing, but with the Tour de France and Olympics now very much on the horizon, it simply isn’t possible. Bradley, Chris and Mark are all fine-tuning their condition ahead of a busy summer on the road, while Pete and Geraint are now mid-way through a crucial block of Olympic track training.
“It will be a fantastic day and we’re looking forward to racing in front of our British fans.”
