Although he’s no expert at sprinting, Ag2r La Mondiale rider Blel Kadri has said that he believes Mark Cavendish will struggle to fight for Olympic gold next summer in London. The Frenchman bases his belief on what he saw when he rode the recent Olympic test event, and he is convinced that the race will end up being more difficult than many anticipate.
“It is a course which is pretty dangerous in the first part, with many medians,” he told Ladepeche.fr. “The 2.5 km hill [Box Hill – ed.] is pretty difficult and could get rid of several sprinters. As well, next year, there will be nine laps of the circuit instead of the two of this year.
“I don’t believe the circuit is for Cavendish,” he said, adding that the smaller teams at the Olympics will also discriminate against him. “I forsee that a small peloton of about thirty riders will fight for the victory.”
Kadri finished 46th in the race, 42 seconds behind the winner Cavendish. He said that he believed French riders will have a chance in the Games, nominating Samuel Dumoulin and Romain Feillu as two riders who could perform at the top level.
Cavendish is one of the big favourites for next year’s race, although it is certain that his rivals will make it as difficult as possible on the climb of Box Hill.