Mark Cavendish leaves UAE Tour through illness

Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) has abandoned the UAE Tour prior to stage 6 after suffering with illness, his team confirmed.

The Brit was in kit and present at the stage start, but ultimately did not line up for the penultimate day in the United Arab Emirates, expected to be a final chance for the sprinters.

“Mark Cavendish won’t start today due to a sickness,” a short statement from Astana Qazaqstan read.

“The rider felt a small fever this morning and after discussion, [DS] and medical staff decided to let the rider time to recover better ahead of his next races.”

Cavendish started his season at the Tour Colombia, marking a particularly early season start for the 38-year-old, and there he took his first win of the year with a sprint victory on stage 4.

Read more: 'I'm speechless' - Mark Cavendish opens his 2024 account at Tour Colombia

He came to the sprint-friendly UAE Tour to continue to hone his sprinting and lead-out set-up ahead of his bid for a record setting Tour de France stage victory this summer.

Up against a stacked field of sprinters, however, Cavendish’s results have been lacklustre, with 17th on stage 5 his highest finish. The Manxman has still been positive about his progress in the UAE, though, with the team praising the lead-out which has become more organised through the week.

Read more: 'Perfect' lead-out for Mark Cavendish leaves Astana satisfied at UAE Tour

Cavendish is expected to be back in action at Tirreno-Adriatico, which starts on 4 March.