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Home > RaceTalk > Tour de France > Cavendish lives the sprinter's dream
Cavendish lives the sprinter's dream
tdw_tf21cavprizethumbJul 27th, 09. Continuing his total dominance of the sprints in the 2009 Tour de France, Columbia HTC's Mark Cavendish took the top prize by winning on the Champs Elysées today.

 

 

 

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"Winning in Paris is one of the most spectacular moments any sprinter can have" (c)TDWSport.com
Three weeks after 180 of the world's best cyclists left Monaco in the South of France, 156 arrived in Paris for the Tour de France victory parade.

The 164km stage, of which 52kms is around Paris' most famous boulevard, the Champs Elysées, is a chance to celebrate Tour de France success for most of the riders.

For the sprinters, on the other hand, winning on the Champs Elysees is a dream.

That glory deservedly went to Columbia-HTC's Mark Cavendish and teammate Mark Renshaw who blasted to first and second place in Paris today. Garmin's Tyler Farrar was 3rd.  

Cavendish and Renshaw broke away from the head of the pack on the final corner, with Cavendish celebrating his sixth stage victory and first ever finish in the Tour de France.

"I've always said that I wanted to win on the Champs-Elysées. Every sprinter dreams of putting their hands up in the air as they cross that line, seeing the Arc de Triomphe in the foreground and it's an amazing feeling to do so. It didn't disappoint at all," said Cavendish. 

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1st and 2nd for Columbia HTC today (c)TDWSport.com
The Columbia-HTC rider's victory came on the Champs Elysées in the heart of the French capital, on a finishing circuit which is often classified as the sprinters' World Championships.

"Winning here in Paris is one of the most spectacular moments any sprinter can have," Cavendish said afterwards.

"But it's one thing to do that sprint and another thing to execute it, and I'm always put in the best position possible by my team. I've got the most talented group of individuals I could ask for helping me to do that."

"It takes a lot of special people to make sure everything is done perfectly and that's what the guys do. I always said with that pressure on me, there's no excuse for not winning so I have to do it."

 


Cavendish has now netted stages 2, 3, 10, 11, 19 and 21 of the Tour de France this year. Today's first place is the 19th victory of his season and the tenth Tour stage of his career.



"I said before I came to the Tour de France that I wanted the stage win and a finish and anything else would be a bonus. Having taken six wins and finished in Paris as well, I can't go away from this Tour disappointed with what I've achieved," he said.

 

Cervelo TestTeam's Thor Hushovd entered the day 25 points clear of rival Cavendish. Knowing all he had to do was finish in the top group, the Norwegian didn't take any unnecessary risks and crossed the line sixth in the bunch sprint behind winner Mark Cavendish to secure the green points jersey.

Julian Dean, who worked incredibly hard again today to get Garmin's Tyler Farrar in the right position to challenge Cavendish, had high praise for Columbia HTC, and Mark Cavendish in particular, "He's a great rider, an incredible sprinter," he said.
 

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