The route may be extremely hill but that hasn't deterred Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) from putting his hand up for selection for the British team for the world championships. The former world champion wants to pay back his compatriot who did an awful lot of work when he won his title in 2011.

Mark Cavendish is certainly not perfectly suited to the course of this year's world championships which has been described as the toughest since 1995. Nonetheless, the former world champion hopes to get selected for the British squad.

With the course being very hilly, Cavendish knows he has no chance of repeating his 2011 win. Instead, he wants to play a support role for Chris Froome who is expected to lead the British team.

“I owe a lot to the guys who have a chance this year,” he told Sporza. “I would like to pay Chris Froome back for the 230 kilometers that he rode at the head of the World Championships in Copenhagen."

Last year Cavendish lined up as the defending champion but worked as a domestique to keep the early break in check on the hilly course in Limburg. He hopes to play a similar role this year.

"I hope I get in the selection of eight riders,” he said. “I think it's wonderful to ride for my country. Obviously I can't win, but I want to work well for the team as I did last year."

Cavendish spends plenty of time in Quarrata and that's an added incentive for the Brit.

“I really know every inch. The team time trial takes place in my backyard and the road race circuit course passes literally a hundred metres from my door,” he said.

Cavendish hasn't raced on the road since the Tour of Denmark in the beginning of August, instead competing on the track in Belgium as he prepares to participate in a couple of world cups over the winter. He will get back into road race action next Sunday when the Tour of Britain kicks off.