Mark Cavendish believes there are as much as six alternatives for him to take a record-breaking thirty fifth stage win in his closing Tour de France.
The 39-year-old, who at the moment shares the report with Eddy Merckx, will begin his fifteenth Tour on Saturday, with a transparent crew objective to say a victory.
On the eve of the race’s Grand Départ in Florence, a relaxed Cavendish addressed the media from his lodge, sat beside his Astana-Qazaqstan crew boss, Alexander Vinokourov, who helped persuade him to return to the Tour after crashing out on stage eight final yr.
This yr, the identical ambition stays: make historical past.
“Look, I haven’t got something to lose,” Cavendish smiled. “It’s not like taking part in roulette, the place if I don’t win right here, I lose 34 Tour phases, have you learnt what I imply?
“I do know it makes a pleasant story to form of say that, however it’s so simple as that. I’ve gained 34 phases of the Tour de France. I’ve gained probably the most variety of phases together with the nice Eddy Merckx. I’m simply attempting for extra. Whether or not that’s yet one more, two extra, 10 extra, that doesn’t matter. Now we have a job to do, which is to attempt to win and we’ll simply take on daily basis like that and method it like some other bike race.”
Requested how optimistic he’s of profitable a stage, the previous world champion mentioned: “We wouldn’t be right here if we didn’t assume it was attainable. In fact, I don’t assume some other crew with a sprinter can be right here in the event that they didn’t assume it was attainable to win, and essentially that’s our job as cyclists, to attempt to win.”
The newest race content material, interviews, options, critiques and knowledgeable shopping for guides, direct to your inbox!
The official route counts eight ‘flat’ phases, the primary coming in Turin on day three. “I believe, realistically, it is 5 or 6 possibilities,” mentioned Cavendish. “It is exhausting the opposite occasions.”
Earlier this yr, Astana-Qazaqstan recruited legendary lead-out man Michael Mørkøv, and introduced in Mark Renshaw, one other of Cavendish’s former pilots, as a sports activities director to go up ‘Challenge 35’.
Along with Mørkøv, Cavendish defined he has been plotting the way to win a stage this yr. “It’s not very romantic. It’s truly fairly scientific,” he mentioned. “Now we have a course of we love to do, Mørkøv and myself. We talked about it this morning, probably the most preferrred state of affairs for a dash. Clearly I can’t actually give that away.”
(Picture credit score: Future/Tom Davidson)
Stage win report apart, maybe probably the most poignant second of the press convention got here when Cavendish was requested concerning the legacy he hopes to go away behind in his closing Tour. The Brit remained mute for 20 seconds whereas he thought of his reply, trying down on the microphones in entrance of him, and across the small room, the place his spouse, Peta, stood on the again.
“I don’t actually know,” he then mentioned, breaking the silence with a smile. “I truthfully don’t actually know. I mentioned earlier than I began my profession that if I might ever be in a guide of names of riders that meant one thing, large riders within the historical past of biking, if my identify was in that guide, I’d be joyful.
“As I’ve grown up, and clearly had youngsters, and seen how they’re impressed by, not simply their biking heroes, however any sporting heroes and life heroes, it form of modifications your perspective on what a sports activities individual is.
“I perceive now that I’m lucky to be within the place of what I do, and provoking not only a era, however just a few generations, adults, children, it doesn’t matter. If they will develop up and see me from afar or know me, know I’ve left an affect on them that helps inspire them, then that’s crucial.”
The Tour de France begins on Saturday in Florence, Italy, with a hilly stage throughout the Tuscan countryside.
