Elia Viviani competed on the road for 82 days in 2019 from Deceuninck Quickstep, but is already back in the saddle, running the Track World Cup in Minsk, Belarus this weekend and preparing to defend her gold medal in the Omnium at the Tokyo Olympics.

Viviani, along with Simone Consonni, who is expected to be Madison's partner in Tokyo, recently won the London 6-day competition.

"It's always nice to beat a champion like Mark. We challenged each other every night and everyone on the circuit was happy about it," Viviani proudly told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I hadn't seen him win in the last two years, but he looked good. He wants to show that he's not done yet and maybe the change of team has given him new motivation."

"I think he's a good player.

The Manxman helped Fernando Gaviria take the omnium world title in 2016, and Viviani got his revenge by winning gold at the Rio Olympics.

Cavendish is not expected to return to track at the 2020 Olympics, and Viviani revealed why.

"I don't think the Olympics are in his program, but four years ago I didn't think so and he became my biggest competitor. But if Great Britain, which only has five slots to compete, chooses him, there will be no reserve for Team Pursuit. I don't see that happening," Viviani explained.

Viviani will move from Dečuninck-Quickstep to Cofidis in 2020 to lead the French team in sprints as it steps up to the World Tour level. However, he will fly the flag for Italy in Tokyo, and this winter's competitions will be crucial to his chances of qualifying for Tokyo.

"I'm going to be in the Omnium on Saturday and Madison on Sunday. It's been a long time since I've ridden Team Pursuit, but I'll see how I feel. My goal is to improve in the omnium at the European Championships, I was fifth or sixth level, but now I want to be on the podium.

Viviani revealed that he had to use a lower gear at Six Day London, 53 x 15. It affected his racing but helped him hone his form.

"As a roadie I like to use 14, but 15 was better suited for high cadence. On the last Madison, I pedaled 120 to 130 times per minute. The last two laps were 137 to 140, and in the sprint it was closer to 160," Viviani explained.

"At the World Cup I use 53x14, but in London the organizers told me to use 15. The reason they do that for the other Six Days is so we don't die after three days and so we can have a more spectacular race on the last day. You can't make the same difference in a sprint, but you can make a difference over time. In London, the last 120 minutes in Madison were really hard. Dool missed a turn and even Cav was in a critical situation."

Viviani will ride the famous Ghent Six in mid-November and then take a short rest before preparing for the 2020 road season in Cofidis; it is unclear whether he will combine road racing with track in spring 2020.

"We will start in Australia, but we need to think carefully about our plans for February.

"Then we will ride Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo, Ghent-Wevelgem, and the Tour of Flanders. Paris-Roubaix is still on the fence, as is the Giro d'Italia. I'll be in the Tour before the Olympics."