Mark Cavendish's race programme was redrawn when he was laid low by a bout of illness in late March, but a victory on the Tour de Hongrie last week suggested that he is picking up momentum again as he builds towards the Tour de France.
Astana Qazaqstan manager Alexandre Vinokourov will certainly hope so. His team has collected just six victories so far in 2024, two of them from Cavendish, and they languish in 21st place in the UCI rankings, a situation that leaves them facing a battle to avoid relegation from the WorldTour at the end of next season.
