British cyclist Mark Cavendish has been warned he is not guaranteed to be selected for this year’s Tour de France.
Cavendish missed out on selection for the Dimension Data team that rode in last year’s Tour and subsequently joined Bahrain McLaren ahead of the new season.
The former world road race champion is the second most successful Tour rider of all-time in terms of stage wins, and is hoping to topple Belgian legend Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 victories.
However, Cavendish enjoyed the last of his 30 stage wins in 2016, and while Bahrain McLaren general manager Rod Ellingworth is keen to include the Manxman, he knows he will have to firing on all cylinders to make the cut.
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"Nobody is guaranteed for the Tour,” Ellingworth said. “He knows it'll be a hard challenge," Ellingworth said.
"It's a certain type of Tour this year, and I'm not shying away from saying that it's an excellent Tour de France for [new team leader] Mikel Landa.
"For Mark, if he's winning and performing well, why would we not think about going on that journey and trying to be the greatest stage winner in Tour de France history?"
