Mark Cavendish Wins Stage Two of the 2012 TDF

Visé to Tournai (207.5 kilometers)

Before we get to the stage three exploits of Peter Sagan we need to make comment on the Manx Missile. If you follow Tenspeed Hero you will remember Todd Hero’s Post where he celebrated all nicknames and useful monikers of the World Champion. It is a helpful guide when referencing Cavendish. We also would like to point you to the comments from Fabian Cancellara:

“He’s shown off his jersey very well today. Usually he comes here with a sprint train but this year it’s very difficult for him so that was really some performance. He’s pulled off a real big number here today.”

Though it is true that Mark has relied on the Highroad Train for most of his career, we are surprised if anyone seriously doubted he had the abilities of that most prolific privateer, Robbie McKewen. After all holding onto your own sprint train is not as easy as it looks. This is evidenced daily during sprint stages when lead-outs look around for their sprinter to find them boxed in, swallowed up by the rush and fifteen places back! So we can offer that Mark knows his rivals as good as he knew Mark Renshaw’s wheel.

Finally, for the record, we leave stage two with a few words from Cavendish:

“I was alone in the last kilometre. I told Edvald with five kilometres to go just do your own thing. We haven’t worked enough together when it’s so hectic like that. If it had just been the sprinters then it would have been okay but there were climbers and GC riders at the finish. I’d rather just go alone.”

Chapeau!