Cav drops out of Paris-Nice

Manxman still finding his fitness after long layoff

Mark Cavendish has abandoned Paris-Nice, dropping out during stage two yesterday.

The 33-year-old Manxman is still working his way back to full fitness; he spent a large part of last season out, after being diagnosed with the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes glandular fever.

The directeur sportif of Team Dimension Data, Rolf Aldag, has issued a statement, which says Cav was forced to stop, following a challenging two days.

“The race was just his third back, following already tough outings at the Vuelta a San Juan and the UAE Tour; as he continues to work his way back towards full fitness following a long lay-off from racing due to illness last year.”

The virus forced Cav to stop racing and training after the Tour de France in July.