Cavendish said he respected those such as Great Britain team-mate David Millar who have openly discussed their doping and therefore played a part in trying to clean up the sport.
“I’ve worked with David Millar,” said Cavendish. “This guy’s remorseful. He’s repented.”
He also praised others, including HTC director Rolf Aldag.
“These guys care about the sport,” he said. “They ruin their reputation to move the sport on, but other people care more about themselves.”