Mark Cavendish returns from illness to lead Astana Qazaqstan Team at the Tour of Turkey

After being absent from the peloton since the 13th of March as he DNF'd Milano-Torino, Mark Cavendish will return to action for the Astana Qazaqstan Team at the Tour of Turkey.

Although the legendary sprinter started his farewell campaign brightly, taking a stage win at the Tour Colombia back in February, it's since been a campaign blighted by illness and injury for Cavendish will him failing to finish every race he's started since that trip to South America.

The now-38-year-old is of course in his final year as a professional rider and retains hope of moving into sole leadership of the Tour de France stage win record later this summer. If he could take a stage win in France, what would be a 35th, it would put Cavendish clear of the great Eddy Merckx.

Key to that though, will be good performances in Cavendish's two pre-Tour de France races, at the aforementioned Tour of Turkey, April 21st-28th and the Tour de Hongrie, May 8th-12th. Some wins under the belt would go a long way to boosting his chances of taking that record-breaking success at the Tour de France in a few months.