Mark Cavendish back riding alongside Chris Froome as Astana director praises ‘champion’ sprinter ahead of return

Mark Cavendish’s recovery since crashing out of the Tour de France has stepped up another level with the British sprinter recently out training with Chris Froome.

The former teammates were seen riding together in an Instagram message posted by Froome on Tuesday and according to Astana Qazaqstan’s team management, Cavendish is on track to return to racing at the Tour of Türkiye in October - if the rider’s medical health has reached the required level.

“We’re not with Mark, we’re at the Vuelta but he continues to come back. He’s coming back after his crash and we’re waiting for the final decision for racing but it’s medical stuff about whether he’s recovered or not. Let’s see. The hope is that he races again this year with the Tour of Türkiye at the end of the season but let’s see. That’s the plan. Like I said, it's a medical decision because his health is very important to us,” directeur sportif Dmitriy Fofonov told GCN at the Vuelta a España.

It’s still unclear, however, whether Cavendish will race in 2024. The British rider has been slated to retire at the end of the current campaign but after crashing out of the Tour de France on stage 8 to Limoges there has been an increase in speculation surrounding an additional year added to the sprinter’s career as he looked to move passed Eddy Merckx’s Tour de France stage winning record. Both riders currently rest on 34 wins a piece.

Read more:

• Mads Pedersen pips Jasper Philipsen as Mark Cavendish crashes out of the Tour de France
• 'I can’t see Mark Cavendish returning to the Tour de France' - Sean Kelly
• World of Cycling: Why Cavendish’s 35th victory doesn’t matter

Cavendish signed for Astana at the start of this year having been deemed surplus to requirements at Patrick Lefevere’s Soudal Quick-Step team. The British sprinter and former road world champion won a stage at the Giro d’Italia in May and headed into the Tour de France his tail up and a revamped Astana leadout at his disposal. He came close to a stage win before crashing out, with second place behind Jasper Philipsen in Bordeaux, however the fairy tail ending didn’t materialise.

Since abandoning the Tour de France the Astana general manager Alexandre Vinokourov has indicated that he would be more than keen on extending Cavendish’s contract but the rider has not yet spoken about his desires or plans for next season.

“Let Vino answer that question but it should be a good opportunity to move forward with us,” Fofonov said. “Also to stop his career like that after a bad crash in the Tour de France, especially when we played our cards well and were second in Bordeaux on one stage and not that far from victory…he’s a champion and to have that Tour de France stage win and that record would be a benefit for him and his career.”

According to Fofonov, the veteran sprinter has made a lasting impression on the team since joining at the start of this year. Wins may have been hard to come by so far, with just one victory during the campaign but volume isn’t the reason Cavendish wishes to prolong his career.

“We’ve liked working with him since the beginning of the season. We’ve had good contact together and he’s a champion. He is a character and a leader in our group. If you see him in the races he’s improved a lot of the young riders in our collective,” Fofonov added.