Rod Ellingworth 'totally open' to Mark Cavendish making Tour of Britain appearance

Rod Ellingworth says Mark Cavendish would be more than welcome at the Tour of Britain Men this September after his Tour de France record breaking triumph last week. 

Cavendish now holds the record for the most stage wins achieved at the Tour after his victory in Saint-Vulbas ahead of Jasper Philipsen. The Manxman now has 35 wins to his name, one more than Eddy Merckx. 

After moving on from his role at Ineos Grenadiers last year, Ellingworth is now back at British Cycling in the role of race director for both the Tour of Britain Men and Women. 

He previously worked with Cavendish during the Manxman's time at Team Sky as well as at Bahrain-McLaren. 

Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Ellingworth said that he would be delighted to see Cavendish at the Tour of Britain Men this year, even if he is not part of the peloton. 

Ellingworth said: "Well I’m totally open to it, but I’m not sure it’ll happen, you’ll have to ask him. There will always be a place though for Mark whether it's on or off the bike with anything to do with British Cycling, I’m quite sure of that. So he will get an invite either way, let’s just say that."

"Of course," he added when asked whether the possibility of Cavendish’s presence was something that British Cycling would look to explore. "But with all that said, I totally respect what he’s done. Even if he came along and just spent the day with a few people, that would be fantastic also. The invite will definitely be there, on or off the bike." 

Cavendish delayed his retirement in order to return to the Tour de France this year after crashing out in Limoges in 2023. In the build up to this year’s race, the Manxman worked tirelessly with his coach Vasilis Anastopoulos in order to prepare for a final attempt at breaking the stage win record which he has now managed to do. 

When asked what he thought might be next for Cavendish when he eventually retires, Ellingworth said he thought that there was a high chance that he would stay in cycling in some capacity moving forward. 

"I’m sure he’s had some conversations with some people," he said. "But Mark’s not stupid at all, I’m sure he will keep active with something. But maybe it's time just to take a bit of a break, spend some time at home for a while and think about his next steps. He will have loads of offers and opportunities though I’m sure."

The Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men will get underway in Kelso, Scotland on 3 September.