Mark Cavendish celebrated his first ever individual stage win at the Vuelta a Espana on Thursday when he followed his lead-out man's back wheel to the finish line.
Despite the chaos in the peloton as the cyclists entered Lleida, HTC-Columbia teammate Matt Goss sorted things out and exploded to the front with Cavendish on his wheel.
Red jersey leader Igor Anton (Euskaltel-Euskadi) retained his 45-second overall lead in the Vuelta, as the top cyclists finished together at the end of the 106-mile route to Lleida for Stage 12.
After the race, Cavendish gave all the credit to his teammate:
“That would be my lead-out man, Goss. He did an incredible job. … I actually wanted to give him the win.”
Goss didn't seem interested in the win, however, as he coasted across the finish line with his hands in the air. Goss had opened up such a huge gap for Cavendish at the finish that he nearly took second place, but was just nipped at the finish by US cyclist Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Transitions) who was driving hard.
Cavendish had won Stage 1 of the 2010 Vuelta at the head of HTC-Columbia's victory in the team time trial. This victory on Stage 12 marked Cavendish's first individual Vuelta stage win. He had missed out several opportunities for stage wins earlier in this year's Vuelta.
Since 2008, Cavendish has 22 victories in Grand Tours in his career.
Stage 13 is a 122-mile route with two Category 3 climbs. It also could set the stage for another sprint finish.
Top 10
1. Igor Anton (Eukaltel Euskadi)
2. Vincenzo Nibali (Lampre) – 45 seconds behind
3. Xavier Tondo (Cervelo) – 1:04
4. Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha) – 1:17
5. Ezequiel Mosquera (Xacobeo Galicia) – 1:29
6. Ruben Plaza (Caisse d’Epargne) – 2:07
7. Rigoberto Uran (Caisse d’Epargne) – 2:14
8. Nicolas Roche (AG2R) – 2:30
9. Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank) – 2:30
10. Peter Velits (HTC-Columbia) – 2:37
Stage 12
Thursday's Stage 12 sports a Category 2 climb about halfway to the finish, but the rest is mostly downhill. Looks like a stage the sprinters can contest.
More race details and results at CyclingNews or the official Vuelta a Espana website.
Recent Comments