Mark Cavendish hopes to have a place on the plane to Rio. Indeed, the British rider racked up the requisite qualification points in international competition and rode the Omnium at the Track Worlds in London at the start of March. According to British medias, the rider who will be selected for the Omnium spot will be the 5th man for the team pursuit squad. The headache for the British Cycling selectors was compounded by the return of Ed Clancy after a serious back injury, with the former Omnium world champion putting in a strong ride as part of the pursuit quartet for the final ride. 

Mark Cavendish is almost certain of a place in Great Britain’s Olympic squad with Jon Dibben sidelined with a broken elbow. The Briton said he won’t be going to Olympics just to make the numbers if he is selected. “The selection is on June 13 and then only I will know. It will shape the rest of my season. I also want to be at the Olympics but I have been to the Olympics before. So, if I’m going there, then I’m going so that I can win a medal. If I didn’t believe in that then I don’t intent to go back to the Olympics.”

"I have total confidence that Mark can do the job in TP [team pursuit]. I've always believed that. I don't think that comes into the question for me," said British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton after the Worlds according to Cyclingnews. "A lot of people say, 'are you diluting your TP medal opportunity?' I don't believe that at all. I believe Cav, from years and years ago, is a very good little TP-er and when he's on form I'm sure he can pull his weight. I haven't got any problems in that area at all."

Cavendish going to Rio would likely make the Tour de France a secondary focus, and Sutton has said that he would expect the 30-year-old pull out well before the race reaches its conclusion in Paris: "For sure, he will be at the Tour - 100 per cent. [But] Cav won't do three weeks of the Tour. If he wants to medal, he's well aware that he probably wouldn't be going to Paris."