Mark Cavendish won’t be competing in next month’s inaugural Tour of Abu Dhabi after he underwent shoulder surgery on Monday, ruling him out for the rest of the season.
Cavendish, who sustained the injury on the sixth stage of the Tour of Britain earlier this month, said: “I tried to ride my bike a few days ago on the road, but I could not put any power out by pulling on the handlebars.
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“There’s nothing I can do now except take a period of rest, and then start with intensive rehab.”
The 30-year-old had told Sport360 last week in Abu Dhabi that he was hopeful of racing in the event, which gets underway on October 8, as he is an official ambassador for the new Tour.
The Manxman also withdrew from the UCI World Road Race Championships earlier this week.