Andrew McLean

by Tour de France Blog 06/07/2009, 18:25

The Manx Missile

The flat stages are all about the sprinters and the Green Jersey competition.

So why is Mark Cavendish of Columbia HTC so fast, in fact, Cav’s as close to unbeatable as any sprinter has ever been!

His team is awesome and with the experience of Riders like George Hincapie and Mark Renshaw, conducting his lead out train, means he will normally be perfectly positioned (Stage 2 of this years Tour was a perfect example).
He loves cycling!
He puts out more power than any other sprinters. His peak 5sec power is reported as 1 680Watts, which at 69kgs means 24.3Watts per kg at peak power.
His coaches and support all comment on his high work ethic.
His speed is enhanced because his position when he sprints is so aerodynamic compared to all the other sprinters.
Great technique on the bike. Moves well around the bunch and is fearless, all traits a great sprinters need in abundance.
Mark sees the bigger picture, he seems able to sense where all his rivals are all the time and times his final kick to perfection.
He is know to leave no stone unturned to find extra speed. He does a lot of track work.
He Loves to Win!
. He Loves to Win!

So how do you beat him? Surprise him.

Alessandro Petacchi went early on Stage 2 of the Giro to beat him.

At Terreno Tyler Farrar got Mark to go to early and sprinted past Mark in the last few meters.

However, Mark is fast learner (another important attribute of success in any sport) and does not easily make the same mistake twice.

Mark’s 2009 Tour de France goals:

To win a stage - done! [I think he may well win another 2 or 3]
Finish the 2009 Tour - it’s a long way to go and some huge mountains to get over. It is in the big mountain stage that the sprinters get eliminated.

I think what he really wants is the Green Jersey.

The only way the other sprinters will get that jersey will if he is unable to make the journey through the mountains.

One thing is for sure despite the Manx Missile’s dominance in pure straight line speed, the Green Jersey like all the other competitions is far from over.

Viva Le Tour!