David Millar on Cavendish's Tour absence: "If he was given that chance, he would win"

When Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl announced their Tour de France team, the name of Mark Cavendish was missing which surfaced countless questions given his experience in the Tour and performance over the last year.

Part of the British entourage, David Millar was another name who was disappointed by the Manxman's absence. “I’ve seen of him and his effect on the sport and society since then is why I think he is the greatest asset any team and cycling as a whole could have at this year’s Tour de France," Millar wrote.

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Cavendish's absence came after his win in the national championships, but Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team couldn't fit the piece in the puzzle, as Fabio Jakobsen is heading to the Tour with full ambitions. There was a late chance he would be inserted in the team after Tim Declercq tested positive for Covid-19, but teammate Florian Sénéchal took the spot.

Millar argumented: “Being on a team with Mark Cavendish is like nothing else, he always figures out what is right and wrong on his own... So, why am I hugely disappointed about Mark Cavendish not being selected for the 2022 Tour de France? It's because he deserves to be there, and if he was given that chance, he would win."

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"He does things people tell him are impossible. I thought it was impossible he could come back, and I was basing that off precedent because nobody had stopped the descending spiral that all pro cyclists find themselves in at the end. Yet he did. Not only that, he came back and put himself back on the trajectory to beat an impossible record. He won four stages at last year’s Tour de France" the former British pro pointed out.

"He is a mad genius. He’s bridged generations and he’s shown us what’s possible, he’s one of the greatest athletes I’ve ever seen. We’re very privileged to have him as our National Champion and the Tour de France deserves to have him too," Millar concluded.