Cavendish poised to ride on

Team Sky have expressed their optimism about the prospects of Mark Cavendish completing the Giro d'Italia, despite yesterday's crash.

Cavendish was involved in a nasty collision with Italian rider Roberto Ferrari during a frantic sprint finish to the third-stage race in Denmark, with Ferrari since being punished by authorities for cutting in front of his British rival. He has since been relegated to a last-placed finish for the incident, while Cavendish was left with a series of grazes and bruises, which could jeopardise his chances of success at the event. But a Team Sky spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that both the rider and team officials are confident that the 2011 Road World Champion can resume competition immediately. "Cavendish suffered considerable road rash but his injuries haven't worsened overnight and he wasn't complaining of any serious discomfort during the transfer to Italy," read a statement. "The medical team will continue to monitor his progress throughout today but we're confident he will be able to ride on."