Mark Cavendish, the British cyclist from the Isle of “You Da” Man, is stealing the thunder from the all the other sprinters at the 2008 Tour de France.
The 23-year-old on US-based Team Columbia beat the field again on Friday in a mass sprint in Nimes. Marking his fourth win, his performance this year is being compared to the likes of Italy's Mario Cipollini.
[VeloNews puts the Cavendish win in perspective: Two have won five — Andre Darrigade (1958) and Freddy Maertens (1976 and 1981); seven others have won four — Mario Cipollini (1999), Jean Graczyk (1960), Roger Hassenforder (1956), Alessandro Petacchi (2003), Edward Sels (1964), Rik Van Looy (1963), Jean-Paul van Poppel (1988). ]
Meanwhile, the leaders all finished in the peloton and Cadel Evans, Frank Schleck, and Christian Vande Velde holding at 1, 2, and 3.
Interviewed after the race, former dominant sprinter Robbie McEwen of Australia was interviewed. Finishing second, the Silence-Lotto cyclist said, “He just burned me off. … He was too strong today.”
The win was the 12th of the year for Cavendish. At the Tour de France, he has won stages 5,8, 12, and 13.
As opposed to Thursday's win when the Columbia team delivered him to the front, his teammates got him to the Liquigas train which controlled the peloton. He jumped when he saw the othe sprinters go. In addition to McEwen, he beat Romain Feillu (Agritubel), Heinrich Haussler (Gerolsteiner) and Oscar Freire (Rabobank).
A two man breakaway — Niki Terpstra (Milram) and Florent Brard (Cofidis) — attacked at the start of the 112-mile stage from Narbonne to Nimes. Brard was finally caught after Terpstra attacked alone with about 12 miles left.
Terpstra was reeled in at 6 miles, then Sylvain Chavanel made an unsuccessful solo bid that ended about 2 miles from the finish.
The top 10 overall:
1 Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence – Lotto
2 Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC – Saxo Bank, 1 second behind
3 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Team Garmin-Chipotle p/b H30, :38
4 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) Gerolsteiner, :46
5 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank, :57
6 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC – Saxo Bank, 1:28
7 Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia, 1:56
8 Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) AG2R La Mondiale, 2:32
9 Mikel Astarloza (Spa) Euskaltel – Euskadi, 3:51
10 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas, 4:18
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