CAV LEAD SLIPS AWAY

CYCLING

MARK CAVENDISH lost his overall lead at the Tour of Oman as Danish rider Anthon Charmig took top spot with victory on stage three.

Cavendish (below) finished 82nd in Qurayyat on a tough day for the sprinters, slipping down the rankings ahead of today’s penultimate stage.

Britain’s former world champion is making his return to the road after a difficult 2021 that saw him suffer a collapsed lung and broken ribs in a crash.

Cavendish, now 36, then suffered a traumatic assault when burglars broke into his home in Ongar, Essex.