(Reuters) – Mark Cavendish will not be competing at the Tour de France after Bahrain McLaren omitted the British cyclist from their squad which was announced on Friday.
Cavendish, who has won 30 stages on the Tour and considered one of the best sprinters in the event’s history, joined the team last year along with Belgian rider Dylan Teuns, who has also missed the cut.
Spaniard Mikel Landa, who finished fourth on the 2017 Tour, is set to lead the team at the race this year.
“This year’s parcours is very well suited to Mikel and his form is strong,” team principal Rod Ellingworth said in a statement.
“The group we have chosen to support him represents our riders who are most suited to the parcours and Tour-ready.
“The past few months have been challenging for all riders to be race fit and it’s a credit to all of our guys that we had such a strong line-up to choose from.”
The Tour, which was postponed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, starts on Aug. 29 from Nice.
Team Bahrain McLaren: Mikel Landa (Spain), Wout Poels (Netherlands), Pello Bilbao (Spain), Damiano Caruso (Italy), Rafael Valls (Spain), Marco Haller (Austria), Matej Mohoric (Slovenia), Sonny Colbrelli (Italy).
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
