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STAGE 6 WIN AT TOUR DE SUISSE
18th June 2009
Mark won the sixth stage of the Tour de Suisse in Bad Zurzach over Oscar Freire (Rabobank) and Francesco Gavazzi (Lampre - N.G.C.). Team Columbia-Highroad teammate George Hincapie led him up to the final 175 metres.
"It was easy to win here today," said Cavendish. "Hincapie brought me good into position and I moved around Hushovd."
The sprinter admitted that he was "quite tired" going into the stage. He called the closing course "difficult, technical and challenging" and said that the last few kilometres were "very physical."
"There was a second category climb at the beginning of the stage and a headwind for most of the day," said Cavendish. "It made it a very hard day for me, but it was all worth it. I came to the Tour of Switzerland because it's the best way to prepare for the Tour de France for me and because I wanted to do some climbs. So far it's going very well.
Full report on cyclingnews.com
THE WINNING CONTINUES AT THE TOUR DE SUISSE
15th June 2009
Team Columbia-Highroad continued to win the sprints at the Tour de Suisse, with Mark Cavendish taking the honours in the third stage in Lumino. The Brit finished ahead of Oscar Freire (Rabobank) and Thor Hushovd (Cervélo TestTeam).
"It was another perfect win for us and having four riders there to help me in the last three kilometres showed how good and strong we are as a team," Mark said.
"It was a great lead-out and all the guys worked perfectly. Thor Hushovd tried to get a jump on me but I was able to get him before the line."
MARK CRUISES TO SECOND GIRO STAGE WIN
20th May 2009
Mark gets the perfect lead out from Edvald Boasson Hagen and Mark Renshaw to take a superb second Giro stage bringing back memories from Milan San Remo.
“Going through the tunnel at the top of the Turchino was quite special. It was were Milan-San Remo really stated and it brought back some nice, happy memories,” Mark said after his win.
“I was a bit worried that I would suffer on the Turchino and thought it was going take the sting out of my legs but it's unbelievable when you can smell the finish and how deeper you can go,”
“I was put in good position to have some sliding room but didn't need it. To be honest I seemed to be floating up there. It was perfect.”
“It's a nice descent and so I was more relaxed because I was near the front and then the team placed me in perfect position. I didn't want a repeat of the first stage and so hit out early. When it kicked up I said 'oh-ho' but I managed to keep going and win. I seem to be in better form that I thought I was…”
Mark celebrates his 24th birthday tomorrow!
TEAM WINS OPENER IN GIRO TO PUT MARK IN PINK
10th May 2009
Team Columbia put in a superb collective effort in the centenary Giro opening stage covering the 20.5km TTT course in 20.50. It was a mere six seconds that gave them the edge of second placed Garmin but this was enough to give Mark and the team the first leaders jersey of the race.
"I wear the maglia rosa for the whole team tomorrow," said Mark.
"The next few days will be sprints, which will suit me and the team. Obviously, the pressure's off because of today, but we'll try for more wins. I've got no problems wearing this shirt, so I'll keep going as long as I can."
Italian style - Mark with Giro jersey designers Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce
Comments on Cycling Weekly
“There's only one pink jersey and it's has to go on someone's back. The team let me cross the line first because I live in Italy and it's special for me. That's a great thing,” he said.
“I'm wearing the jersey for the whole team. It's a team time trial and it just happened that someone had to cross the line first. If there were nine maglia rosa we could all wear them but there's only one, so I'll wear it for whole team tomorrow. If I win tomorrow, then I can enjoy the gratification of being the first British wearer.”
“I'm just so proud about how everything went. When we did our first team time trial training, it was rebuilding a vespa engine. We took it apart, cleaned it and it started first time. We did an effort on Thursday and everything worked perfect and I got the same proud warm feeling when everything goes right.”
“I was nervous and worried about every team in the race. Astana were one of the favourites and were last, so I had to wait for them to finish. I watched the race on television near the finish line. I had doping control and couldn't go to the toilet, so it was pretty hard not to wee for two and half hours."
MARK'S INTERVIEW ON BBC INSIDE SPORT
7th May 2009
An extended version of the Inside Sport Mark Cavendish interview where he talks about his disappointment at the Beijing Olympics, and how road cycling is doing all in its power to fight drugs cheats - Watch the full programme on www.bbc.co.uk
TWO STAGES IN DE PANNE
3rd April 2009
Mark put the disappointment of no victory at the World Track Championships behind him this week as he stormed to victory in stages 2 and 3a of the KBC-Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde, The double header matches Mark's performance in the 2008 edition of the race.
"I am very happy that I did the double, like last year. Racing here in Belgium is great, the spectators are so enthusiastic."
MARK WINS MILAN-SANREMO
21st March 2009
Mark sprints to victory ahead of Heinrich Haussler to teke the biggest win of his career so far:
"It's the most beautiful day of my life. I didn't expect to win. I couldn't dream of anything better."
"Hincapie helped me enormously, but the whole team stayed with me on the climbs. When Haussler broke away at top speed I was scared, but it makes the victory even sweeter."
Cav and mentor Erik Zabel. Photo ©: Sirotti/www.sirotti.it
Interview from cyclingnews.com:
Q: You won Milano-Sanremo at the first attempt. It took Mario Cipollini 13 times before he got the win. What did he say to you at the finish?
Mark: "He came and congratulated me. He is a nice guy. I nearly made a mistake in California last year, but we worked it out over the winter when we trained together a few times. He is a nice guy. I know it [took him 13 years to win]. I know, I know... But I am sorry."
Q: What did Erik Zabel say to you at the end? You trained with him a lot in the days leading up to the race.
Mark: "Erik came up to me and said he got this [a silver bracelet] as a gift when he won his first Milano-Sanremo. He gave it to me today. I can say that without his help I would not have won today. We did reconnaissance twice and I knew where I had to be at what time in the race's finale. You could see from the team's emotions that we knew it could work, and it did. It is a real special day for us both."
Read the full feature on cyclingnews.com>
STAGE VICTORY TIRRENNO ADRIATICO
18th March 2009
Mark won the final stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico Tuesday in San Benedetto del Tronto in a bunch sprint over Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) and Baden Cooke (Vacansoleil). The 169-kilometre stage was the Briton's fifth win of the season and bodes well for the Milano-Sanremo one-day Classic in four days.
"The other day I thought it would be my day, but I was beaten on the line," said Cavendish.
Read the full report on cyclingnews.com>
Photo copyright Riccardo Scanferla
SPRINT CLASSIFICATION IN CALIFORNIA
24th February 2009
Mark has shown no signs of slowing down with an excellent result in the Tour of California winning two stages (4 and 5) and the overall sprint classification.
Thanks to Karen Kirkpatrick who caught an amusing moment on camera at Paso Robles. Mark has just thrown his flowers into the crowd which deflected off a roof and smacked an unlucky spectator on the head... the podium girl seems amused!
Photo copyright Karen Kirkpatrick
20th February 2009
From cyclingnews.com
Mark delivered a second stage win to his Columbia-Highroad squad in the fifth stage of Tour of California, once again getting the better of Quick Step's Tom Boonen in the bunch sprint.
"This was the stage I was targeting since we got here, it worked out perfectly," he said. "The guys worked so well for us. It was touch and go whether we were going to get the break back. Again it was George [Hincapie] and Mark Renshaw - once I get dropped off in that position there's no way I can do anything but win."
Read all of Mark's comments on cyclingnews.com>
Photo copyright Jonathan Devich / epicimages.us
2009 VICTORY NUMBER 1 IN TOUR OF QATAR
4th February 2009
From cyclingnews.com
Mark delivered in the first head-to-head showdown with Tom Boonen of 2009. The Briton fought strong winds to claim Tour of Qatar stage four over Heinrich Haussler, Boonen and Filippo Pozzato in Qatar's northern city of Madinat Al Shamal.
"With gale-force winds at over 60 kilometres an hour I can't sail from the Isle of Man to England, yet I raced in a 70-kilometre wind today," he said.
Despite the crosswinds, Mark's Team Columbia-High Road closed on the lead group in the final five kilometres of the 141-kilometre stage from Doha. A left turn at 2200 metres remaining set up the riders for a sprint showdown.
Mark fought for space on the right-hand side of the road with Team Quick Step's Boonen to his left. Team Cervélo's Haussler benefited from the rivalry to get second.
CYCLINGNEWS.COM FEATURE INTERVIEW
Can anybody challenge Cavendish in the 2009 sprints?
An interview with Mark Cavendish, January 3, 2009
Daniel Friebe
"Cocky", "brash", "arrogant" – you can say what you like about Mark Cavendish, but the statistics don't lie, and those statistics back up the Manxman's repeated assertions that he's merely stating a fact when he calls himself the fastest man in road racing. At the end of a winter break which turned out a little more restful than he expected or wanted, on his return from his team's first training camp of the winter in December, Cavendish spoke to Procycling's Daniel Friebe about some of the challenges which await him in 2009.
Read the full article on www.cyclingnews.com>
