After Mark Cavendish announced he wanted to target the Olympics, Worlds and Tour de France, another rider who is doing the same goals (minus the Tour) is Elia Viviani. The fast Italian on Team Sky reckons the Manxman is taking on too much in 2016.

“I think it’s too much,” Viviani told Cyclingnews and a small group of journalists at Team Sky’s training camp in Mallorca on Tuesday. “The Tour de France is so close to the Olympics. After the Tour you have a really good condition. For sure he has the endurance for the points race but it could cost him in the kilo. At the Olympics you can’t afford to pay too much in the kilo because if you lose 20 points in the kilo… you’re not out, but yeah…you need to be 100 per cent in all six specialties, so it’s more difficult, I think, to have all those focuses.”

Viviani says Cavendish can have great success in the Omnium, as he has the appropriate history in the event, but he needs to focus solely on that goal if he wants the Olympic gold medal to finish his palmares.

“He [Cavendish] has done a lot of track in the past and I think it’s easy to come back, but you need to work a lot for the specifics of the Omnium in the month, or two months, before the big focus,” said the Team Sky rider. “I think he can be confident but he needs to focus solely on this.”

Viviani also said that he thought Cavendish is the best sprinter in the world just now, despite the success Andre Greipel has had in 2015.

“I think he’s the best again. Also with the new team maybe he can win a lot in the season. I think Kittel now has the strongest sprint – if everything goes right in the sprint, I think he is the strong one, but I think Cav is the best.”