HIGH - bouncing back at the Tour
HIGH - bouncing back at the Tour
Cavendish has made it a career habit to bounce back from criticism with a vengeance and that’s exactly what happened on stage 13 of the 2013 Tour de France.
Having been beaten by Kittel on stage 10, and sprayed with urine the following day, Cavendish suffered another defeat to Kittel on stage 12. But Cavendish issued the perfect response as crosswinds wreaked havoc on the route into Saint-Amand-Monrond 24 hours.
As strong crosswinds began to blow and Tinkoff-Saxo, riding in support of GC contender Alberto Contador, dropped the hammer on the front of the peloton, Cavendish was alert to the danger, burying himself to make the split, and later comparing the move to falling through ice – you have one split-second to get across to the front group or you’re gone.
Cavendish’s reward was a comprehensive stage win, taking his Tour tally at the time to 25 with a victory which will likely go down as some of the most impressive of his career.