British cycling star Mark Cavendish targets triple success in 2016

Mark Cavendish is aiming for the yellow jersey in the Tour de France, an Olympic medal and victory in the World Road Championships over the next 12 months. The 30-year-old cyclist is already considered to be among the best sprint racers of all time, but is targeting even more success in 2016.

Cavendish — who will ride for Team Dimension Data-Qhubeka — has been busy training on both road and track this winter before a hectic year. And Cavendish has revealed his specific ambitions for 2016.

"If I don't win any of them it is not a failure because they are the biggest things you can do in cycling," Cavendish told BBC Sport. "If I won one I'd be happy but I'll try to win all three."

Cavendish is currently training at the Velodrome in Manchester and has revealed how he has adapted his preparation for the various challenges he faces this year. "I've been mixing road and track," he said. "I've been doing more specific track stuff. I don't know how that is going to affect my road racing. I could be flying, I could be catastrophic, I could be indifferent. I don't really know — we will have to see when I get racing."

The Manxman is desperate to earn a place in the omnium for Great Britain at the Rio Olympics and he is set to compete at the next round of the Track World Cup in Hong Kong later this month. "If I don't do anything in Hong Kong, you won't be talking to me about the Olympics," he explained.

Cavendish has never won an Olympic medal and he faces stiff competition for the omnium place from Ed Clancy and Jon Dibben.