Fenn-tastic

This is the second time this season we’ve found ourselves relishing a performance by Hertfordshire’s Andy Fenn, and it’s only February. The 23-year-old, feisty at the Tour Down Under, where he followed home German sprint king, Andre Greipel, and more experienced team-mate, Mark Renshaw, to claim a podium on the final stage, Fenn was fourth today behind a still more illustrious colleague, Tom Boonen.

Fenn’s reward is the White Pearl jersey of leader of the best young rider’s competition. As might be expected, his chief rival is an OPQS team-mate, Gulliame van Keirsbulk, and barring disaster in tomorrow’s time trial, the young Brit might secure the biggest prize to date of his road career. Should he pull off such an achievement, he will send a clear message to Patrick Lefevere that Mark Cavendish is not the team’s only indispensable Brit.