Mark Cavendish’s back-up secured
Mark Cavendish has won more sprint stages in the Tour de France than anyone else. He holds 15 sprint wins to the 3-way second place tie of 12, between Mario Cipollini, Cavendish’s mentor Erik Zabel, and 2010 Tour de France contender Robbie McEwen. Cavendish, riding for HTC-Columbia, matched and then soared above the record in this year’s Tour, having gone from zero to 15 in only three years. He won four stages in 2008, six in 2009, and five this year.
“I had always wanted to be a racing cyclist. The Tour de France, when I was young, was everything,” said Cavendish. “It was the only event shown on television ... A few years later I was in my first race as a stagiaire [apprentice] with T-Mobile. It was unreal."
His success was mainly due to his primary lead-out man, Mark Renshaw, who has proven time and again that they make a near-unbeatable pair. But Renshaw was disqualified from the 2010 Tour for head-butting Julian Dean and dangerously cutting off Tyler Farrar in stage 11 while setting Cavendish up for a stage win.
"Renshaw is out,” explained Jean-Francois Pescheux, the Tour director. “We watched the film once and it was blatant. He head-butted Dean like in a keirin race...This is a bike race, not a gladiator’s arena. Everybody could have ended up on their backs."
With Renshaw out, Cavendish still managed to take the final two sprint stages with the help of Bernhard Eisel and Bert Grabsch. Team HTC-Columbia announced the re-signing of both of these lead-out men for another two seasons. Eisel is also an individual talent, with a win at Gent-Wevelgem this year and several top-10 finishes in the Spring Classics. The Austrian will continue to be a key component of Cavendish’s lead-out train.
"I'm really happy to be back again," said Eisel. "For me this team is the best because I get the freedom to ride for my own goals in the Classics and I enjoy riding for the best sprinter in the world at the Tour de France, which is my second goal each season. We have a lot of fun on this team and together we get stronger and stronger each year so I'm happy with that.”
After Cavendish’s performance in the Tour, cementing his place as the fasted cyclist in the world, HTC-Columbia has been actively working to secure the future of the British sprinter. Team Manager Rolf Aldag has named Eisel among the most experienced riders on the team and a necessary shepherd for Cavendish through the mountains.
"Bernie is an integral part of the team and important for us in many ways," said Aldag. "We have a long relationship with him and we rely on him as a road captain, where he does a great job of leading by example on and off the road, and as a leader for the classics. A diverse rider like Bernie who has a multifunctional role in the team is essential and we are pleased to have him back for the next two years of racing."
Grabsch joined HTC-Columbia in 2007, and the 35-year-old is one of the oldest members of the team.
“I'm happy to be with HTC-Columbia for the next two years,” said Grabsch. “I know what I have in this team. The last three years were very successful here for me and I hope that will continue. I still have the motivation for professional cycling and I get this with HTC-Columbia.”
Aldag explained: “He works very hard, is always loyal to his captain and we can always count on him when it comes to a situation where we have to chase down breakaways or need a good time trial result.
“He showed some incredible performances in the recent Tour de France and paved the way for many of our stage victories in the sprint stages. Bert's commitment is a very good example for many of our young riders.”
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