The Second, the seeds of a journey that have been first planted some 16 years in the past, occurred alongside a nondescript industrial street with forest on one aspect and an overgrown grass subject on the opposite, a kilometre away from a village of 1,200 inhabitants that till it hosted the Tour de France for the primary ever time, was identical to the numerous hundreds of different small routine French settlements: largely forgettable.
However because the solar burned by the clouds that had given rain earlier within the afternoon, Saint-Vulbas was about to develop into synonymous with historical past. The Second got here at 17:38 CET on July 3, 2024, when Mark Cavendish surged by a crowded peloton, darting proper after which left, and charged in direction of historical past, a thirty fifth victory within the Tour de France, surpassing the document he had shared with Eddy Merckx for the previous three years.
Just a few hundred metres again, the place the recently-asphalted street step by step bent to the precise, one in every of Cavendish’s principal helpers, Davide Ballerini, a person who delivered him to 4 Tour stage victories in 2021, slammed on his brakes and parked up in conjunction with the obstacles. His work was executed, and he was now just like the hundreds of thousands of followers watching around the globe. “I finished driving at 300 metres to the end and regarded up on the TV display screen,” the Italian advised Biking Weekly.
“I didn’t get off my bike, however I braked and stood there on my own to see the end. At first I might see he was blocked in, one thing occurred however I don’t know what. Then within the last when he began he did a extremely good dash.”
Throughout the globe, followers drew a pointy consumption of breath for Challenge 35 was about to be accomplished by the 39-year-old. “I used to be wanting on the display screen and when he gained I used to be screaming with all the opposite folks,” recalled Ballerini. “From December we have been fascinated about this second, and now this second has arrived. We’re actually glad. We needed to maintain combating to be there as a result of we knew that Cav was coming again – and now he’s actually again.”
Alongside the barrier after the end line, Cavendish’s spouse, Peta, waited anxiously with 4 of their youngsters. She clutched the youngest over her proper shoulder, and when her husband crossed the road first, let loose a piercing roar. “Oh my God. He fucking did it,” she shouted, scanning to keep watch over her youngsters, who all jumped round with pleasure.
The entire household then hurdled the obstacles, and made their approach in direction of the bustle of photographers. “Daddy! Daddy!” Cavendish’s eldest daughter known as. When he heard, he opened his arms to half the cameras, and, with a beaming smile, welcomed them into the chaos.
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(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
A melee of photographers, journalists, riders and well-wishers ensued and endured for 10 minutes, however a number of kilometres again down the parcours, most likely within the division of Isère and never but having crossed Le Rhône into Ain, was Cavendish’s DS and long-time leadout man, Mark Renshaw.
When The Second got here, he and his three different automotive companions initially had no thought. “We had no TV and we didn’t know for what felt like minutes,” the Australian stated, “however it was perhaps 20 seconds after after we came upon. We didn’t get to see any of it, we simply noticed a few photos now [15 minutes later] and it appears to be like like they did an incredible job. We’re actually happy with the blokes.”
Renshaw was introduced into Astana-Qazaqstan final summer time and has been important within the development of a devoted leadout practice across the Manx Missile that included the signings of Ballerini, Michael Mørkøv and coach Vasilis Anastopoulous. “I’m not a cocky man however I used to be assured,” Renshaw smiled. “That was pure Cavendish. That last 100 metres was Cav from 2009, 2010, 2011, you noticed the zip he had, attacking to the left – it was class.
“To come back again from his crash final 12 months… I by no means doubted him as a result of he’s shocked me too many occasions earlier than. There have been no doubts on my behalf, Vasilis has spent hours and hours engaged on coaching plans and I don’t assume the workforce had any doubt both.” He added: “Cav is a high quality wine.”
(Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
On the finish of 2020, Cavendish broke down in tears at Gent-Wevelgem, fearing that, with out a contract for the next season, he had simply ridden his final skilled race. He signed a bare-bones contract with Deceuninck Fast-Step and gained 4 levels and the inexperienced jersey on the 2021 Tour, transferring him from 30 stage wins to 34. That 12 months, his boss was Patrick Lefevere, and in Saint-Vulbas the veteran supervisor was simply as ecstatic, if no more, as when the Manxman was profitable his seven levels for Fast-Step.
“We have been within the bus and everybody was yelling prefer it was one in every of our riders profitable,” Lefevere stated. “Once we noticed that Mark gained everybody within the bus was like ‘Argh’ and screaming. I’m proud and I’m glad for him as a result of I feel we have been a part of this historical past – when no one needed him anymore, I took him again and he took 4 victories in a single 12 months.”
A tranquil nothing-happens-here sort of outpost won’t ever once more be just-another-quiet-village that comes into the consciousness on a zoomed-in map. A plaque and a statue are absolutely to be erected on the website in Saint-Vulbas, the place a biking legend entered immortality, the place The Second lastly, in the end, occurred.
Will the document cease at 35? “We nonetheless have a dash tomorrow, don’t we?” Renshaw stated of stage six. “I’ve seen a assured Cavendish and to guess in opposition to him not taking one other one could be an enormous name.”
