Mark Cavendish (Tour de San Luis, Dubai Tour, Clasica de Almeria)
Mark Cavendish (Tour de San Luis, Dubai Tour, Clasica de Almeria)
The new pro cycling season is less than a month old but already the British riders are on top form, opening 2015 with a string of victories.
Mark Cavendish and Lizzie Armitstead stormed the desert to take victory in Dubai and Qatar, respectively, while Steve Cummings’ switch to MTN-Qhubeka has already proved a successful one.
And all this before Chris Froome or last season’s WorldTour new boys Adam and Simon Yates have even started their new campaigns.
Here’s a reminder of how Britain’s best have fared so far.
Mark Cavendish, Tour de San Luis, Dubai Tour and Clasica de Almeria
Mark Cavendish (Etixx-QuickStep) got his season up and running at the third time of asking by winning the final stage of the Tour de San Luis and carried that form with him to Dubai.
A stunning long sprint on the opening stage gave him the blue jersey, which he held on stage two thanks to second place.
The Manx Missile lost it on stage three, but a strong finish on the steep, uphill sprint atop the Hatta Dam took it down to a final stage showdown between Cav and John Degenkolb.
And Etixx-QuickStep clicked perfectly into gear to deliver the former world champion to a comprehensive win on the final stage, and a first overall title since the 2013 Tour of Qatar.
After a difficult season last year, Cavendish is well and truly back on top form and there is plenty of reason for optimism for his legions of fans.
Just to prove that, too, he then stormed to victory number four at the Clasica de Almeria in Spain to point to much more success to come.