Cavendish now victorious in all Grand Tours
On Thursday, Mark Cavendish became the second ever British rider to claim stage wins in all three Grand Tours.
The win sees the HTC-Columbia rider join a group of seven other riders active today who have done the same.
Among them are Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi and three-time Grand Tour winner Denis Menchov of Russia. Robert Millar is the only other British rider to have won stages in the three Grand Tours.
Thursday's Stage 12 ended with a sprint finish in Lleida. The last time a Vuelta stage finished in Lleida was 21 years ago, when Matthew Elliot, another British rider, won.
"To do at the Vuelta what Malcolm did before is special for me," Cavendish said after his victory, adding that he still races with Elliot, now 49, in domestic competitions.
Grateful for team effort
Cavendish's HTC-Columbia teammate Matthew Goss played a large part in his victory, fighting vigorously to deliver him for the finish. After the win, the 25-year-old was full of praise for his Australian teammate.
"Matt has done an incredible job today. I kind of wanted to give him the stage... because I did nothing for winning today," a humble Cavendish said. "The team did everything. I was brought to the finish by my team. I'm grateful for that. But I looked behind and other riders were coming across. So I really had to take the win. When I put my hands up, it was for my teammates, not for myself."
Now aiming for points classification
The Isle of Man sprinter also added that he intends to fight for the Vuelta's points classification in the remaining stages.
He currently holds the green jersey on 85 points, nine ahead of Garmin-Transitions' sprinter Tyler Farrar.
Cavendish has won several points classifications during his career, but never in one of the Grand Tours.
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