Tour de France
Sprint king Cavendish has to wait – does the record fall?
Mark Cavendish wants to break Eddy Merckx’s record. photo
© Daniel Cole/AP/dpa
Mark Cavendish is tied with Eddy Merckx in the Tour de France leaderboard with 34 stage wins. In his final tour participation, the ex-world champion still wants to do the last job.
Sprinter king Mark Cavendish is missing a stage win at the Tour de France to finally surpass legend Eddy Merckx.
The 38-year-old Briton missed the first two chances of his 35th day victory in his 14th and last participation. Up to Paris, however, there are still options on some flat stages. His team boss Alexander Vinokurow, once a controversial man in the peloton, urges calm.
His form: Sixth at Bayonne and fifth at Nogaro, Cavendish has shown he is competitive. Above all, the ex-world champion was measured on the last kilometer of the third stage with a top speed of 73.3 km/h. Nobody was that fast. “That gives me confidence for the next few days,” said Cavendish, especially since he can regenerate well even after difficult mountain stages. So he had to wait until the last day of the Giro d’Italia before he was there in Rome and celebrated his 162nd career victory.
His team: The Astana team is all about King Cav. And his team boss Alexander Vinokurov urges him to remain calm: “I don’t want to put him under any more stress than he already is. He feels comfortable in the team and his stage win at the Giro has shown that his motivation is high. He should stay calm . There are still a few possibilities,” the Kazakh told the Spanish sports newspaper “Marca”.
His helper: In Mark Renshaw, Cavendish has brought an old acquaintance into the team as an advisor. The Australian acted as a starter for the super sprinter for nine years and celebrated numerous successes with it. “That helps a lot. Not only in the final, but also over the last 25 kilometers. What he says is also important for the boys,” emphasized Cavendish.
His chances: In the best case, there could still be five mass sprints, the next opportunity will be on Friday in Bordeaux on the seventh stage. Sprint finishes are also possible in Moulins (11th stage), Bourg-en-Bresse (18th), Poligny (19th) and especially Paris (21st).