Cavendish shrugs off illness to make his Sky debut in Qatar

The Manxman, who switched to the British-run team after winning the Tour de France’s green jersey and the world championships last year, had fallen ill on the flight to Doha but was given the all-clear by team doctors.

Team Sky sports director Steven de Jongh said: “Our medical team have done a fantastic job in looking after him and Mark has followed their advice to the letter.

“Clearly, he’s not going to be at his best in the next few days but we’re hoping he’ll get stronger with every passing stage.

“We’ll continue to keep a very close eye on him but hopefully he’s over the worst of it now.”

Unsurprisingly, Cavendish did not feature in the first stage, a 142.5km ride from Barzan Towers to the College of the North Atlantic, which was won by Belgian former world champion Tom Boonen. He took the line ahead of Adam Blythe (BMC Racing) and Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) in third.

Overnight snow was not enough to stop the most hardcore cyclo-cross riders competing in the traditional end of season Madison pairs event yesterday at Sowerby Bridge, where Nick Barnes and Paul Asquith came out on top.

Kippax-based Nick Barnes, the 17-year-old Zepnat RT rider, was paired up with 11-year-old Asquith of East Bradford CC in the event, which sees the riders literally give each other a helping hand and which sees the teams picked so that less experienced riders are paired with more experienced competitors.

Pedalsport CC’s Levi Moody took an early lead alongside Adam Bailey of Huddersfield Star Wheelers, but Barnes and Asquith took over at the front on the second lap, while Steve Barnes (Zepnat RT) and Leeds rider Joe Parker (East Bradford CC) were just off the pace.

Huddersfield veteran Giles Bailey, the 44-year-old who riders for Huddersfield Star Wheelers, and 16-year-old Pedalsport prospect Benny Pygott, eventually overhauled Barnes and Parker to move into second spot.

Storey taking positives out of Olympics axe to target Paralympics glory

Sarah Storey has already overcome her Olympic disappointment as she prepares to defend her Para-Cycling Track World Championships titles in Los Angeles next weekend.

Storey’s bid to compete in the team pursuit at the London Olympics was ended last December when she was dropped from the squad, without explanation, following the Track World Cup win in Cali, Colombia.

The 34-year-old’s full focus is now on the Paralympics, with the California competition the final major event before London, her sixth Games.

Storey said: “The skills I’ve learned to pick myself up and bounce back have come in very useful in this situation.

“That disappointment of being removed from the squad I’ve managed to turn into a positive already.

“I’ll just keep pushing the legs and mind and make sure I stay ahead of the people and control the events I’ve got left now.”

On returning to Manchester from Colombia in December, Storey was told she was surplus to requirements for the team pursuit. Rather than dwell on what might have been, Storey, whose debut Paralympics was as a 14-year-old swimmer in 1992, is now determined to make the most of the events she will be riding in the capital.

She added: “It hasn’t hurt me. I’ve been philosophical because I’ve got so much to play for. It was always a bonus.

“I’ve always been a Paralympian with those events to focus on.”