TalkingShop: Mark Cavendish meets the press

Mark Cavendish has been busy meeting the press the last few days. We look at what he’s been saying …

Talking to Sky Sports, World Champion Mark Cavendish explains how Team Sky is incredible and the structure inside the team exceeds what he expected. “It’s just like coming home” he told Sky Sports. “I don’t think there will be any problem with me fitting in.”

The team structure says ‘Cav’ is all about driving the performance of the riders and that is a breath of fresh air for him. “All I have to do is concentrate on cycling and getting results. I’m lucky I have been successful in a successful team (Highroad) but I think we’re going to see even more at team Sky.”

Cavendish and Wiggins — can the team support both their ambitions in the Tour de France — Cavendish says he wouldn’t be at Sky if he didn’t think so.

Talking about how he has brought with him former teammates from High Road like Bernie Eisel, he says them being with him at Sky is very important as is knowing so many of the existing Sky riders who he counts as friends and that familiarity is important.

Asked how can he top what he did in 2011, he replied, “do it all again and then there’s the Olympics. The Cycling Road Race is the first medal on offer and it would be great to get Great Britain off to a good start. We should be one of the favourites having looked at the course and the strength in depth in our team.”

Cav added that the Olympic Road Race though comes only six days after the Tour which commercially is the most important target for professional riders and to perform for the whole of July in the Tour and then the Olympics will be a tough ask but is doable.”

He ended the interview by saying that the team going for both the Green and the Yellow jerseys can be done. “I would not be here with Sky if I didn’t think it was possible ….”

See the full interview here:

Mark’s interview with Sky Sports is not the only one he’s done. Talking to the Sun which is hardly been the bastion of cycling news over the years so there’s a big change, Mark says of the Olympic road race,  “the Olympics are taking place in our own back yard. I’m not going to miss my chance to be a part of it and, whatever happens in that race, I’m going into it as prepared as possible. I have four team-mates with me who will be doing the same, so if I don’t give it my all I’m letting them down.”