Sitting in the VIP lounge of London’s O2 Cineworld, the painful monotony of training or the suffering of the Tour de France was lost on Mark Cavendish as he tucked into a series of canapés before the premier of Chasing Legends.
The film follows HTC-Columbia at the 2009 Tour, with sprint star Cavendish turning a star role for director Jason Berry with six stages wins.
The 2010 Tour has since passed – five more stage victories, taking the Manxman’s tally to 15 in three years – but, with the season now at a close, thoughts inevitably turn to the 2011 Grand Départ in Vendée.
Cavendish has identified six stages which could end in a bunch sprint on what is undoubtedly a route geared towards climbers – the celebration of 100 years since the first crossing of the Col du Galibier is more likely to leave the 25-year-old breaking out in cold sweats rather than dancing on the streets of Alpe d’Huez after stage 19.
And Cavendish refuses to take stage victories for granted – his eyes are on a bigger prize: “I would be happy with one stage – and the green jersey,” he said.
But whereas Thor Hushovd and Alessandro Petacchi have scuppered Cavendish’s chances in 2009 and 2010 respectively, now Tour organisers – ASO – may strike the fatal blow.
The 2011 Tour will see the points system revamped, with just one intermediate sprint per stage worth 20 points to the winner, with the subsequent 14 riders also securing points.
“I’ve not had a chance to look at is closely,” said Cavendish, who was in Paris for the Tour presentation on Tuesday.
“It was a massive shock. I understand French enough to know what they were saying but when they said that, I turned to Thor and said ‘what did he just say?’
“It could be the best thing that ever happens to me, it could be the worst thing that ever happens to me – I really, really don’t know.
“We go three times over 2,500m – you can’t breathe when you’re sleeping at that level, let alone ride your bike. It’s a very hard course.
“I get better throughout Grand Tours – I get better through riding. Rod [Ellingworth] has always told me the best form of training is just riding my bike.
“I’ve got a lot more depth now in what I do, but I do feel like I need longer to warm up and I need longer to get in shape.
“My base is there, I’ve got a higher base than I’ve ever had, so I can go in and race and I won’t be spat out but that top sharpness that when you’re younger you can get in a week now takes me a few weeks.”
Click here for more from Mark Cavendish. Read about his planned attack on the Spring Classics.
