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Cavendish back racing with Tour de France still possible

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LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) Mark Cavendish returned to cycling for the first time since March on Thursday at the Tour of Slovenia, and the sprint star remains hopeful he can start the Tour de France next month.

Cavendish had not raced since Milano-Sanremo in March. He came down with mononucleosis caused by the Epstein-Barr virus in April, forcing him to the sideline during his typical Tour prep.

The 32-year-old British cyclist has 30 stage wins in France, four shy of Eddy Merckx's record.

This year's Tour begins with a short time trial July 1 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

Cavendish said he's ''fit as I can be after four weeks of training,'' but his health will be closely monitored during the four-day Tour of Slovenia. Sam Bennett won Thursday's opening stage in a sprint.