Blagnac to Brive-la-Gaillarde (222.5 kilometers)
“I don’t know how much I won by, but I had to go early. I haven’t done anything this Tour because I saved so much energy. I knew I’d be able to go long. I knew I’d get it. I felt really good today,”
Mark Cavendish
Watching Mark Cavendish outpace his adversaries such as Sagan and Greipel does not diminish their own achievements in the Tour de France but the way he wins certainly distinguishes his achievements. Where as Sagan Stomps like a Slovakian folk dancer and Greipel calls upon his Paleolithic self as a Lycra wrapped primate, Mark Cavendish’s burst for the line is simply preternatural.
The world may have began to doubt Mark’s future as a sprinter, not so much based on his ability but because his place on Team SKY meant his ambitions will be seconded during the Grand Tours. Stage 18’s dominance at the line proves this to be false. “Tschussy Mr. Gorilla-Man. Bye Bye Mr. Tourminator-Hulkster. I will see you on the Champs-Élysées!” (Spoiler Alert-Mark Cavendish wins on the Champs! 🙂 )