Mark Cavendish's chances of increasing his sprint victories in this year's Tour de France have been affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, Bahrain McLaren team manager Rod Ellingworth has admitted.

Cavendish was left out of the Dimension Data Tour de France last year after battling the Epstein-Barr virus. He moved to Bahrain McLaren for 2020, teaming up with his old coach and mentor Ellingworth for a clean start.

He was hoping to add to his 30 Tour de France stage wins and move closer to Eddy Merckx's record of 34. However, with racing expected to be limited before this September's Tour de France, Cavendish had little chance to show his form and was named to Bahrain McLaren's Tour roster (8 riders).

"He has not been automatically selected for the Tour and he does not want that. He doesn't want to be an automatic selection for the Tour and he doesn't want it. But we agreed that if he wins a race, that would be enough for him to go to the Tour."

"Unfortunately, that changes, and with very few races beforehand, the chances of him being able to prove he is back to a decent level are reduced," Ellingworth explained to the PA news agency, acknowledging Cavendish's dimension in the sport and the ambition he conveys to his teammates. He acknowledged. [Technically, he is one of the best sprinters in the world, and as long as he's in form, he's proven that time and time again, with or without the lead-out train," Ellingworth said. Ellingworth said, "Mark brings a lot of value to the team in terms of his mindset and goal setting."

When questioned, Cavendish posted a thread of comments on social media.

"I thought I would clarify about the little, almost nothing, story that is being hyped up a bit today to get clicked on regarding the Tour de France selection," he wrote. [Personally, I am always willing to go to @letour, or any race, but only if I feel I can add value to the team or believe I have the best chance of success for the team. I think the majority of professionals feel the same way about their position.

"After five months away from racing, every rider is in a similar situation. Bahrain McLaren thinks things through logically and puts the best team on the starting line.

"With @MikelLandaMeana being a strong contender for the GC, along with 29 incredibly talented riders, if I fit or don't fit a particular strategy, as well as the other riders on the team, it will come from people I trust and who are world leaders in this sport I am confident that this will depend on a fair judgment and discussion of the I hope this clears up any misconceptions directly from my mouth. ......"

"I am sure that many teams have been involved in this sport.

Like many teams, Bahrain McLaren is trying to secure its long-term financial viability and plan for the rescheduled compact 2020 season while preparing for the future.

Last week, Ellingworth admitted to Cycling News that he had spoken to Chris Froome about him joining Bahrain McLaren in 2021. On Tuesday, McLaren acknowledged that it has been "severely affected" by the coronavirus outbreak and confirmed reports that it will cut a quarter of its workforce. McLaren is a 50% partner in the team, which is owned by the Mumtalakat Bahraini sovereign wealth fund.

"We are literally waiting to see how it will affect the team," Ellingworth admitted to PA. 'A lot of things are uncertain, but I haven't heard anything super negative about the team possibly ending or anything like that. If we get a chance to sit down and talk about it, we will."

Like many teams, Bahrain McLaren is trying to work out a plan and protocol for its return to training and racing. Different teams will be competing in different parts of the world at the same time. The decline in the number of COVID-19 cases in each country and the decision of local authorities will ultimately determine whether or not the race can be held.

Ellingworth hopes that Bahrain McLaren will be able to return to racing at the Vuelta Burgos in late July, but organizers have not yet confirmed that the race will be held in Spain.

"At the moment everything is pictorial," Ellingworth said. Ellingworth said, "It is possible that only the Dauphiné and the Tour will be held, but who knows?"

Ellingworth acknowledged that the rescheduled calendar could stretch Bahrain McLaren's resources.

"If it all goes ahead, we will eventually have to pay a fine. Because you need 30 riders to cover all the races and we only have 29.

." But if we limit the number of staff we can deploy in a race, the riders will receive less care and attention, which can be a health issue in the Grand Tours."