Mark Cavendish has made himself available for selection for Great Britain's Olympic track cycling team.
The 30-year-old from the Isle of Man took time to reflect on his Track Cycling World Championships performance, where he placed sixth in the six-discipline omnium earlier this month and won gold in the non-Olympic Madison alongside Sir Bradley Wiggins.
And Cavendish, who has twice suffered Olympic disappointment, has put himself forward to be considered for August's Games in Rio after speaking to British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton.
Sutton said: "I spoke to him earlier this week on what his intentions were and his intentions are to carry on with the project.
"Given his performance at the worlds, he's decided that he wants to be put forward for selection at the Games.
"We just wanted him to go away and see where he was at. He's decided he feels he's done enough to warrant putting himself forward and he believes he can still win."
The rider in the omnium must also be able to slot into the four-rider, four-kilometres team pursuit squad as there are three rounds of competition in close proximity.
The team event takes priority over the omnium, which can be something of a lottery, and Cavendish must be able to compete at gold medal-winning, world record-breaking pace.
His participation in Rio now depends on proving himself to the selection panel of Sutton, head coach Iain Dyer, team manager Keith Reynolds and men's endurance coach Heiko Salzwedel.
They will make the final call on his participation by their June 13 deadline and the final team will be announced by the British Olympic Association.
Wiggins earlier this week stated he thinks Cavendish merits inclusion, but the four-time Olympic champion and key component of the team pursuit squad will have no say in selection.
"No, Brad won't have any influence at all," Sutton added.
"It will be a performance decision."
Cavendish is expected to return to the track between May's week-long Tour of California and the Tour de France.
Cavendish has won 26 Tour stages, including four times in Paris, and the 2011 road race world title, but an Olympic medal has so far proved elusive. It is understood Cavendish is prepared to do whatever it takes to go for gold in Rio.
Cavendish and British Cycling believe the Tour will provide crucial preparation for the Olympics, but Sutton has already said he must leave the race early to make final preparations for Rio.
The prospect of withdrawing before the peloton reaches the Champs-Elysees will be easier if the Team Dimension Data sprinter can win the opening stage in Normandy on July 2 and take the fabled race leader's yellow jersey for the first time.
Cavendish won his first four Tour stages in 2008 before leaving the race early to prepare for the Olympics in Beijing, where he finished ninth in the Madison alongside Sir Bradley Wiggins, fatigued by his efforts in winning the individual and team pursuits. He vowed then never to quit the Tour early again.
After suffering the ignominy of being the only member of Britain's track team not to win a medal at the Beijing Games, Cavendish was 29th in the road race on the opening day of London 2012.
Source: PA-WIRE
