Mark Cavendish will team up with his team-mate and arguably the most decorated Six Day rider in the professional peloton – Iljo Keisse – in the event held on November 18-23 in Ghent. Racing on the track should serve the Briton as an essential part of his preparations towards the 2015 season, treated this time very seriously as it will be his contract year with Omega Pharma – Quick Step.

Cavendish’ three-year contract with Omega Pharma – Quick Step expires by the end of next year and once the most dominant sprinter in the professional peloton has to be perfectly aware that his situation currently isn’t perfect. His Tour de France campaign was dramatically ended when he had crashed in a bunch sprint into Harrogate and he hasn’t managed to fully recover until the end of the season. Even though the 29-year old Briton did won 11 races this year, quality of his victories – including stages at the Tour of Turkey, Tour of California or Tirreno-Adriatico – cannot be compared with those taken by Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano) or arguably the most improved fast finisher of last twelve months Alexander Kristoff (Katusha).

In such circumstances, Cavendish kicked off his build-up towards 2015 much earlier than he did last year and appearances on the track should help him to reignite a spark he recently lacked while compared to younger and more athletic sprinters.

Openly asked by his team-mate Keisse to treat the Ghent event – one of the most important in the Six Day circuit – seriously, the 29-year old Briton was photographed while training with the fellow Omega Pharma- Quick Step rider on the track earlier this month. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, he continued his preparations towards the upcoming event  at the Montichiari velodrome near the Italian city of Brescia.

Cavendish is reportedly in much better shape than at the same point last year and the Italian newspaper suggests that Milano-Sanremo will be his first major objective in 2015, as the monument will be held on the sprinters friendly route again.