Mark Cavendish wins 2011 Olympic test event in London

Great Britain’s Mark Cavendish sprinted to victory in the Olympic road race test event in London on Sunday.

Italy’s Sacha Modolo took second with France’s Samuel Dumoulin third.

“You can’t get a sense of how the 2012 race will go, but you can get a feel for this course and the route is good,” Cavendish told BBC Sport. “There are a lot of roundabouts which make me nervous with a big bunch of guys, but it’s a nice course.”

Dubbed the London-Surrey Cycle Classic, Sunday’s 140km course followed the proposed Olympic road race route, but completing only two laps of the Box Hill circuit versus the nine proposed for next summer’s 250km event.

“Two laps is a lot different to nine laps, which is always going to be hard, but I’ll prepare specifically for that before the Tour de France,” Cavendish said.

The race started at The Mall in central London and wound around the streets, lanes and hills of London and through the rolling countryside and picturesque villages of Surrey.

After two zigzag circuits around Box Hill the peloton returned to London for a fast finish at The Mall against the backdrop of Buckingham Palace, where Cavendish leaped from the bunch to take the flowers.

Quick results

• 1. Mark Cavendish (GB), 140 km in 3:18:11
• 2. Sacha Modolo (ITA), same time
• 3. Samuel Dumoulin (FRA), s.t.
• 4. Stuart O’Grady (AUS), s.t.
• 5. Michal Golas (POL), s.t.