Cavendish diagnosed with mono, still targets Tour de France

LONDON (AP) Mark Cavendish's cycling team says the sprint specialist has been diagnosed with ''infectious mononucleosis'' and needs time away from racing.

Dimension Data says the main goal for Cavendish remains the Tour de France in July.

With 30 career Tour stage wins, the British cyclist is second on the all-time list behind Eddy Merckx of Belgium, who won 34 in the 1960s and `70s.

In a statement on Dimension Data's website, team doctor Jarrad Van Zuydam says ''we are hopeful of a significant improvement of (Cavendish's) symptoms over the next two weeks.''

The team wants the 31-year-old Cavendish to rest after ''unexplained fatigue during training.'' He is also recovering from an ankle injury.

Cavendish last raced in the Milan-San Remo one-day classic on March 18.