2010 Tour de France : British cyclist Mark Cavendish Races for the Green Jersey
The 2010 Tour de France begans Saturday with the 8 km prologue in Rotterdam, the first time since 2007 that the race will begin with a prologue. The first stage of the Tour took place on Sunday, July 4 and was one of the longest stages at 224 km, second only to the sixth at 225 km, both flat stages, which favour cyclists with high endurance and are often decided by a sprint to the finish line.
The majority of the Tour is flat, so poor climbers can still fight for the green jersey, awarded to the cyclist with the highest points classification based on stage wins, rather than for the yellow jersey, awarded to the tour’s overall leader. Among the main contenders for the first stage are British cyclist Mark Cavendish, who has been called the world’s best sprinter, and upstart American Tyler Farrar, coming into his second Tour de France with renewed confidence following stage wins in the 2009 Vuelta a España and 2010 Giro d'Italia.
"Last year I was a little less confident because I didn't know what to expect,” Farrar told the Telegraph regarding the mistakes that left him finishing behind Cavendish in 2009. “Now that I've done the race I know what to expect a bit more, and I know that I'm good enough to race for the win." Cavendish is backed by the brand-new British-based Team Sky, including top contender Bradley Wiggins. The team’s stated goal at this stage is to produce the first British Tour winner by 2015, and they are fully aware that a yellow jersey in 2010 is a long shot.
"My team's going very well and we're focused on the green jersey," said Cavendish, brimming with confidence. “When journalists at the Tour de France ask me if I am the best sprinter, I answer 'Yes,’” he told the BBC. Farrar, backed by American-based Team Garmin-Transitions has every intention of denting that confidence, and believes that this year he has a real chance.
"I don't think he's as dominant this year as he was last year coming into the Tour," Farrar told the Telegraph. "I still consider him one of the main contenders in all the sprints of course but I think the sprints are a bit more open this year than they were last year.”
Garmin-Transition team manager Jonathan Vaughters intends to target Cavendish’s confidence as a weakness, convinced that an early dent can lead him down a slippery slope. "Cavendish is someone who needs a lot of momentum and confidence around him, so the first stage is certainly crucial for him," said Vaughters. "Tyler is used to fighting tooth and nail ever day, so win or lose on the first day he will come out every stage after that fighting." A favourite in the fight for the yellow jersey, Spaniard Alberto Contador has a distinct shot at the green jersey as well.
The 2010 Tour is one of the most mountainous in recent years, and Contador is the Tour’s best climber, which could win him enough points in the Alps and Pyrenees to be a real threat to Cavendish. "I would love to make the difference in the Col du Tourmalet," two-time Tour winner Contador told Reuters. "I love this pass and I know it very well, it's my favourite."
“He's a complete rider with few weaknesses, he climbs better, and he time-trials with the best," said seven-time victor Lance Armstrong.
After Cavendish was eliminated last year, the green jersey was awarded to Norway’s Thor Hushovd, who comes to the Tour this year with a strong team included British cyclists Jeremy Hunt and Dan Lloyd.
Three-time world champion Oscar Freire of Spain won the green jersey winner in 2008.
“[Freire is] clever enough to beat me in at least one sprint each year," said Cavendish. Hushovd and the Farrar are the only riders that confident Cavendish speaks of so highly.
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