Tuesday 17 September 2019 09:48, UK
Mark Cavendish has emphasised his excitement at racing against the world's best ahead of the Six Day London cycling event.
Cavendish, who was dropped from the Team Dimension Data squad for the 2019 Tour de France, will partner Welshman Owain Doull in the event he finished second in with Sir Bradley Wiggins in 2016 and fellow Manx rider Peter Kennaugh in 2017.
The Manx Missile confirmed he was looking forward to the event, held from October 22-27, for the competitive field as well as the atmosphere.
He said: "Facing the likes of Elia Viviani and Caleb Ewan is pretty special. Elia is Olympic champion, Caleb I think was Australian champion when he was younger.
"To get back on the boards, back where we're at home, and race - pure racing - it's quite exciting.
"It's daunting, they're the two guys doing best in the world right now but I'll have the advantage of the home crowd, which you always get something special from.
"The Velodrome was built for its acoustics, it's special to ride here. It provides a party atmosphere you don't normally get with one-day racing. You definitely get something - the loudest event at the Olympics was in this stadium."
Cavendish, 34, was phlegmatic about the prospect of riding in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 and trying to win a gold medal.
He added: "I'll always give my best and see what I can get from it. Ask anyone around here if they'd like an Olympic medal, they say they'd love one.
"I'll keep going as long as I can in the sport, and you may as well talk to a 22-year-old about retiring if you're going to talk to me about retirement."
