Going for gold

ALL eyes will be on Team GB's Mark Cavendish tomorrow as he bids to win the first medal of London 2012 in the men's cycling road race.

The reigning road race world champion will be cheered on by 15,000 fans along the 155-mile course that starts and finishes on The Mall.

One islander who will be watching Cavendish, pictured, closely is Ian Brown's Cycle Shop director Paul Brehaut, the man who finished ahead of the gold medal favourite at the 2003 Island Games in Guernsey.

'I remember beating Cav when he was only 18.

'You could tell he had potential and the following year his career took off when he became the junior British National Track champion,' he said.

'It is remarkable to see the enormous pressure on his shoulders now. He is expected to win the first Olympic gold for Britain.'

Mr Brehaut believes Cavendish will be highly motivated to win the gold and take back the media spotlight from Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins after a difficult Tour.

'Cav's Tour did not go to plan,' he said. 'He suffered two crashes in the first week on stages he was expecting to win, which ruled him out of contention for the green jersey.

'He then became a domestique (French for servant) which quite literally meant he was water boy for the team, carrying drinks for his team-mates.'

Cavendish has lost weight, a couple of kilograms, to help him ride over Box Hill, roughly the size of Pleinmont Hill, which the riders will cross a staggering nine times. 'Cav's slender build and the way he keeps low makes him so aerodynamic, at times it seems like he's riding a motorbike,' Mr Brehaut said.

He will rely heavily on support from teammates Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, David Millar and Ian Stannard working together to help the Manx Missile win gold, added Mr Brehaut, who turned down a ticket to watch the race.

'I'm a bit gutted to be missing out, but, like many others, I will be glued to the television and it will be a fantastic spectacle.'

When asked what impact a Cavendish gold would have on cycling on the island, the Guernsey Velo Club development officer was unequivocal in his response. 'Cav put cycling on the map by becoming world champion last year and Bradley Wiggins winning the Tour de France has taken cycling to a whole new level both locally and nationally,' he said.

'Each week at Delancey Park we have 100 kids cycling with the club, inspired by Britain's dominance of the cycling world.

'If we add Cav winning the first gold medal on home soil into the mix, who knows how many more will give cycling a go?'