Is Mark Cavendish, the Jack Of All Trades?
Mark Cavendish started as a professional track rider and has developed himself into a fully equipped stage race cyclist after showing some splendid sprinting abilities in the past seasons.
He has now joined the Belgian side, Team Omega Pharma-Quick Step and Team General Manager Wilfried Peeters believes that Cavendish’s presence has strengthened his side in Stage racing as well as the Classics.
Peter Sagan and Fabian Cancellara are two in-form cyclists and are the biggest challengers for Peeters but he is confident that the inclusion of the Manxman can definitely help his team.
Team Omega Pharma-Quick Step enjoyed a terrific spring and won as many as seven races including, the Dwars door Vlaanderen – Waregem, E3, Gent – Wevelgem, de Panne, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
“I think we have a strong team, just like this year with the leader Tom Boonen and all the victories we had in 2012,” Peeters briefed to Cyclingnews.
“However, to be as successful in 2013 in going to be difficult but we’ll try and do it. We’ve got a very similar team for the Classics and have only changed a few riders”.
“With Cavendish we’ve more chances. It’s very possible to work with both Boonen and Cavendish in the team and line up,” he concluded.
Cavendish signed a three-year contract with the Belgian side after an itchy exit from his former side, Team Sky.
The cyclist claimed that his former General Manager could not provide him enough support to defend his Tour de France point’s classifications jersey as the British team was built around Bradley Wiggins who brought success for the team.
Wiggins claimed an overall victory at the Tour de France 2012 and became the first ever British rider in the history of the sport to receive the honour.
Mark signed a three-year deal with Team Sky in 2012 and was bound to ride with the team by the end of 2014.
However, the he negotiated himself out of the contract after the sore incident at the Tour de France 2012.
He is considered as one of the best stage race cyclist and his performances in the past two seasons has definitely earned him a lot of fans and respect.
The biggest win of his career came in the past season where he managed to claim the top overall position at the UCI Road World Championships after a remarkable display of his abilities.
As many as 210 cyclists from across the world participated in the year’s most awaited event scheduled on September 25, 2011 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
32 cyclists failed to complete the 260 kilometre event while Roman Kreuziger abandoned the race because of a wrist injury and only 177 cyclists managed to cross the finish-line.
Cavendish took a total time of 5 hours, 40 minutes and 27 seconds and claimed the top podium position while Matthew Goss and Andre Greipel occupying the second and the third positions respectively.
He also bagged multiple stages at the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France and the Tour of Britain 2011 and numerous other victories to wrap up a perfect 2011 season.
The 27-year-old claimed the first ever overall victory of his professional career at the Ster ZLM Toer and is most likely to lead the Belgian at the Tour de France 2013 as already noted by the team earlier.
Cavendish moving to Team Omega Pharma-Quick Step is undoubtedly one of the biggest transfers of the 2012 season but it appears as if Team Sky has not yet realised the loss of losing the all-rounder as he is definitely one of the handiest cyclists currently
present in the peloton.
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