Pic ⓒ TDWsports.com |
Isle of Man born Mark Cavendish has rocketed to the sharp end of professional cycle racing since making his debut, notching up more wins in his first year as a pro than just about anyone else. It’s possible that 2009 may be a year that heralds even more wins, with two stage victories in the season opening Tour of Qatar already notched up.
Halfway around the world and all eyes are on the Tour of California currently unfolding, where Cavendish has just won stage four of the race. Cavendish edged out Tour of Qatar winner Tom Boonen on the 185.7km stage, giving team Columbia-Highroad its first win of the nine-day race.
“It’s massive for us and for the team,” said an elated Cavendish. “The team did so well today. They stayed with me on the climbs and with a flat run in like that there was only one outcome that it could have been… when you have a team like mine.”
“We got the leadout right and they dropped me off with 100m to go so there could only be one outcome.”
Pic ⓒ TDWsports.com |
This will be a big year for cycling in general, but for Cavendish his sights will be set high. A return to the Tour de France will hopefully bring a similar hoard of stage wins and, without the Olympics to distract the young rider who knows no limits, a win on the final Champs-Élysées stage could be the crowning glory in what looks to be another monumental year.
Astana’s Levi Leipheimer currently leads the General Classification, with Michael Rogers (Columbia-Highroad) second and David Zabriskie (Garmin-Slipstream) third.
