Cavendish to compete in Vuelta a Espana next month

MARK Cavendish will ride the Vuelta a Espana for the first time in preparation for the World Road Race Championships in Australia next month and the Commonwealth Games in October.

SPAIN BOUND: Mark Cavendish will compete in the Vuelta for the first time as he gears up for the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games (Reuters)

The 25-year-old had a sluggish start to the season after prolonged dental problems and was severely hampered in his doomed bid to defend his Milan-San Remo title in March.

Cavendish returned to the Tour de France in July but failed to win the first two sprinters' stages, only to bounce back in style and notch up five victories - including the final stage on the Champs-Elysees for the second year in a row.

The Brit has competed, and won stages, in the Giro d'Italia, but the Vuelta is the one Grand Tour Cavendish has never before competed in.

But he is determined to add to his illustrious CV in the race, which begins in Seville and finishes in Madrid on September 19.

"Our first goal is to get an early stage win with Mark, and then we will see how it goes from there," said HTC-Columbia sports director Tristan Hoffman.

"He's in really good shape and very focused, to the point that he didn't do any criteriums after the Tour de France.

"He's going to the Vuelta for the first time and he's taking it very seriously.

"He knows there's a lot of climbing, but he did really well in the mountains in the Tour de France and he will be looking to race as strongly in September as he did in July."

At the World Championships in Geelong, Victoria, Cavendish will be bidding to become only the second Brit in history to claim the rainbow jersey after Tommy Simpson's victory in 1965.

His hopes however have been dealt a blow with the news that Great Britain will be permitted to enter just three riders in the race out of a possible nine.

Last year Bradley Wiggins' fourth-place finish in the Tour de France, combined with Cavendish's form throughout the year ensured Great Britain were given the full allocation of nine.

But both Wiggins, who endured a disappointing Tour in July, and Cavendish have slipped down the UCI's rankings and as a result, Great Britain have received fewer places.

Cavendish has already highlighted his intention to compete for the Isle of Man at the Commonwealth Games, with the road cycling competition scheduled a week after the World Championships.

Meanwhile, two track cyclists Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton will be heading to Poland in November to take part in the European Championships - which now carries qualification points for the Olympics - and as a result will miss the Commonwealth Games.