Ongar’s Mark Cavendish has been warned his future at Etixx-QuickStep is under threat if he does not register regular wins in cycling’s biggest races this year.

The 29-year-old’s three-year deal expires at the end of the season and the former Team Sky rider has made a strong start to 2015, picking up five victories whilst winning the Dubai tour and the one-day Almeria Classic.

However, not everything is going in favour of ‘The Manxman’, who has been warned by Etixx-QuickStep chief Patrick Lefevere he will need to pick up regular wins in the sport’s bigger events in order to earn a new deal.

Cavendish’s status as the world’s number one sprinter has slipped following the rise of German Marcel Kittel, leaving the 25-time Tour de France stage-winner’s position at Etixx-QuickStep under increasing focus.

Lefevere told cyclingnews.com: “Everyone likes Mark, he likes the team, but it’s about money and it’s about winning.

“He’s been winning a lot this year but things really start with Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo and Gent-Wevelgem. After that we’ll maybe start speaking, but we can’t hide the fact that the Tour de France is also really important.

“If Mark is beaten five times by Kittel then we’ll have another discussion. He's a really popular rider, he’s a star, but if you don’t win then your star starts to fade.

“We’re professionals, I’m a professional, he’s a professional and we have to sit down as grown-ups and speak. But it’s too early to speak about this.”

The news comes after British cycling boss Shane Sutton admitted he expected Cavenish to miss out on a place at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, with an Olympic gold medal still missing from his CV.

With Cavendish’s contract with Etixx-QuickStep running down, the Isle of Man-born rider’s focus remains on the road rather than the track.