Mark Cavendish misses out on Tour de France, Julian Alaphilippe also absent from Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl team

Mark Cavendish has been left out of Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl’s eight-man team for the Tour de France. Sprinter Fabio Jakobsen has been selected as the team's preferred sprinter, as expected, despite the British rider’s impressive form and his national road race title at the weekend.

Ad/> After winning the National Championships in Dumfries and Galloway, Cavendish said, «I can at least show the reason I am not going on the Tour is not because I have got bad form.” Cycling'I love the nationals' — Sensational Cavendish storms to British road race title18 HOURS AGO Last year, the 37-year-old equalled Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 Tour de France stage wins. Before he knew the final team selection, Cavendish said, „I am going so much better than last year and you know what happened last year (at the Tour).“ »I have trained as if I am going on the Tour, my condition is there, I am good enough to go on Tour, I know if I went I would win”, he said after crossing the line in Castle Douglas.

However, Cavendish has missed out and has to settle for a place as a first reserve rider, alongside Florian Senechal. Another notable absentee from the Quick-Step Alpha Vinvyl team is Julian Alaphilippe.

The World Champion — who has been a stage winner in the past four editions of the Tour — only returned to racing at the National Championships after his recovery from a crash at Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Sports director Tom Steels said, «The decision to leave Julian home was a very difficult one, as he is one of the team’s most emblematic riders and we wrote so many great moments together at the Tour.” Expanding on the reason to leave Alaphilippe out, Steels said, „Julian worked hard to get back into shape after what happened to him in Liège, but it is