"There’s times like with Dimension Data when you’re left to your own devices" - Mark Cavendish keen on altitude training ahead of Tour de France, reveals flaw in former team

Mark Cavendish is racing the Tour Colombia to start his 2024 season and that will be part of a planned training camp at altitude with the team. He tells that modern cycling is quite different and that is a must to be able to perform at the highest level, and hopes it'll take him to a higher level towards the Tour de France.

"To do a bit of altitude, first and foremost. I really haven't done that much altitude in my career, but you kind of have to do it now. It's not like you're getting a benefit from doing it, you're just so much not at the level if you don't do it now," the Manxman told GCN. Currently training in Spain, the Kazakh team is assembling it's plans for the 2024 season. One that had been previously discussed was a camp in South America due to the presence of high altitude, and because teams have extensively booked the most prestigious hotels in Europe. 

“It is the first time that the team goes so far away to a camp like this. We thought of going to Colombia to stay for three weeks before the Tour Colombia race was even announced. Now it is a fantastic opportunity… it looks like a really ideal scenario," he tells. The veteran is hoping to hit the ground running in Colombia, likely with a modest field, hoping to take a victory in the sprint stages that will be present. He is aware that nowadays most pros have altitude camps throughout the season and this includes sprinters. He's accepted the situation and is looking to use that to increase his level. “If you’ve people around you that know what they’re doing with it, then yes."

However he tells that at times in the recent past, this kind of training worked out wrong and that includes his time with the now-absent Team Dimension Data. "There’s been a handful of times when it’s been controlled and I’ve gone very well of it. There’s times like with Dimension Data when you’re left to your own devices, and it’s kind of gone the other way," he reveals. "I know we’ve got people around here who know what they’re doing with it, so we'll give it a go."