Tour de France 2016: Mark Cavendish leaves race to focus on Rio 2016 Olympics after winning stunning four stages in France

MARK CAVENDISH has left the Tour de France with five stages to go in order to focus on the Rio 2016 Olympics.

The Manx Missile, 31, has won four legs of this year's race - his best return at the Tour in five years - and will focus on the Rio velodrome.

Cavendish is expected to ride the omnium in Rio in a bid to win the first Olympic gold of his career.

He finished sixth in March's Track Cycling World Championships in London in the six-event competition - that was won by Colombian sprinter Fernando Gaviria.

He said: "After an extremely enjoyable couple of weeks, it is with great sadness that I took the decision to leave the race.

"After the heat and intensity of the previous stages, we analysed my fatigue levels and decided I'm at a point that would have a detrimental effect on my other big goal for the year, the Olympic Games."