Tyler Farrar of the Garmin Slipstream team is the closest that cycling fans in the Washington state have to a hometown hero at the 2009 Tour de France.
So many of us were excited to see the 25-year-old from Wenatchee battling to pass Mark Cavendish as he crossed the finish line in Brignoles on Sunday.
As so often has happened this year, Farrar came up short against Cavendish. He finished 2nd in Stage 2 of the Tour de France.
In a post-race interview at CyclingNews, Farrar told the secret to beating Cavendish:
“There really is no trick to beating Cavendish, except to be really, really fast. But the way he is sprinting right now, he's just unbeatable.”
Farrar has beaten Cavendish once this year, at Stage 3 of the Tirreno-Adriatico in Italy. But he's finished second to the British cyclist many more times.
“This is my first Tour, and to become second behind Cav, well I can't say that I'm unhappy. Still, this must be my ninth second place this season, and after a while that does tend to get frustrating. But there will be more opportunities to come, starting tomorrow.”
Farrar's father, Ed Farrar, is a respected orthopedic surgeon in Wenatchee. An avid cyclist, he was struck by a car in October and might have died if not for a series of coincidences.
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