CAVENDISH SECURES SECOND WIN IN 24 HOURS

CAVENDISH SECURES SECOND WIN IN 24 HOURS

21-year-old Mark Cavendish has secured back-to-back wins in the Three Days of De Panne in Belgium.

At the end of the 119 kilometre stage starting and finishing in De Panne on Thursday, Cavendish once again proved he was the fastest. It was his second victory in less than 24 hours.

Second in the hotly disputed bunch sprint was Italian Francesco Chicchi with Slovenian Borut Bozic in third.

“It wasn’t easy this time. Mark went shoulder to shoulder with [Italian sprinter Danilo] Napolitano for about a kilometre and a half before the finish and he was in the wind all that time.” team sports director Allan Peiper said afterwards.

“That explains why Mark ‘only’ won by half a bike length this time, not the nearly three bike lengths of the day before.”

Peiper said strong team-work had played a key factor in getting Cavendish into the frame for the sprint.

“Two of our guys, Marcel Sieberg and Servais Knaven were on the front of the bunch to pull back a break. Then Roger [Hammond] did some great work for him later on and finally Cav’ came through a gap in the bunch that wasn’t there.”

“Mark is really exceptional.” Peiper said. “Nothing seems able to take away his self-confidence.”

“Other sprinters lose their self-belief quickly, but what makes Mark so exceptional is that his morale remains so solid come what may.”

Cavendish is now a strong favourite for Ghent-Wevelgem next Wednesday. Considered the best Classic for the sprinters, the double ascent of the Kemmelberg climb in the final hour’s racing is the one big obstacle for a bunch gallop in Wevelgem.

“Mark is definitely one of the favourites for Ghent-Wevelgem if it comes down to a bunch sprint.” team manager Rolf Aldag added. “We’ll have to see whether he gets over the Kemmelberg all right first. But we’ll be looking after him all the way.”

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