Mark Cavendish Aims for Rio Gold and Tour de France

Mark Cavendish is set to tackle a massive schedule in 2016, with his sights on Olympic gold and Tour de France success.

Mark Cavendish aims to win a first spell in the yellow jersey of the Tour de France and an Olympic gold medal.

He believes it is physically possible with careful planning, saying "I think it is physically possible with careful planning, if you work every single day".

Cavendish must first qualify for Rio by riding the omnium at the track World Cup in Hong Kong on 16-17 January, and then earn his place in the GB team pursuit team for the world track championships in London in early March.

Mark Cavendish has not even qualified for Rio yet, but he hopes to overcome this hurdle in Hong Kong.

After the world track championships, Cavendish will contemplate pulling on a GB jersey in South America, with the ultimate goal of winning Olympic gold.

He will also aim to win fresh rainbow jerseys at the track and world championships.

The 30-year-old Cavendish seems almost affronted at any suggestion he may have bitten off too much, saying "Do you think you're being insulting to my talent as a bike rider by asking [about his chances]?".

Cavendish's Olympic travails have been well-documented, including his experiences in 2008 and 2012.

He says the principal Olympic monkey on his back is the fact he is constantly asked whether it all still rankles.

To ride the multi-event omnium in Rio, Cavendish must also be part of the quintet who will race the team pursuit.

He concedes the challenge has changed since his team pursuiting days in the Great Britain academy.

In 2008, Cavendish could drop on to the track to race the Madison in the middle of a full road race programme, but that has changed due to the specialist demands of track racing.

The issue, he says, is that merely to train for such intense racing a cyclist needs to be fresh and rested.

But the consequent lack of long, steady miles on the road means a loss of endurance for marathon events such as the one-day Classics and Tour de France.

Cavendish will have to balance his training carefully to achieve his goals.

He will have to work hard every single day to make it happen.

There are 366 days in 2016, and Cavendish might have to re-evaluate later, but he believes it's possible.

The guys at British cycling, including head coach Shane Sutton and endurance coach Heiko Salzwedel, believe Cavendish can do it.

They've worked with him long enough to know that if he puts his mind to something, he can go above and beyond.

Cavendish's determination and talent make him a strong contender for success in 2016.

He is ready for the challenge ahead, and his fans will be eagerly watching his progress.

The road to Rio and the Tour de France will be long and difficult, but Mark Cavendish is up for it.