It was 17 years in the past that sprinting nice Mark Cavendish began his Tour de France profession with a time trial within the streets of London within the 2007 race. Early on Sunday afternoon, after a record-breaking 35 stage wins, the British fastman accomplished his fifteenth and closing Tour on the streets of Nice with, once more, one other time trial.
The second starter of the hilly 33.5-kilometre race towards the clock from Monaco to Nice, the Astana Qazaqstan rider rolled down the beginning ramp at 14:41:30 native time, 90 seconds after teammate Davide Ballerini had opened the afternoon’s racing.
With his thirty fifth stage win captured within the first week after which the final dash on Tuesday in Nîmes, Cavendish’s closing problem within the Tour de France was to complete the race. And after efficiently finishing the hardest obstacles of three arduous days within the Alps, the final TT was the final, a lot simpler, hurdle to cross en path to doing that, however a hurdle nonetheless.
Cavendish lastly got here dwelling on the final day of the Tour de France in a time of 54 minutes and 38 seconds, however though he had gone all out on the primary a part of the course to make sure he made the reduce, the time he clocked barely mattered. As the rousing cheers of the crowds alongside the Promenade des Anglais and Place Massena made clear, in addition to the handfuls of wellwishers ready outdoors the Astana crew space, this was their final probability to pay Cavendish homage on the roads of the Tour de France – they usually had been decided to offer him the best sendoff doable.
After a wave on the crowd within the final kilometre, prolonged hugs together with his household on the end line, and with one final return to the Tour de France winner’s podium for a particular ceremony nonetheless awaiting him to honour his achievements, Cavendish spoke to the press about what the ultimate stage had meant to him.
“I feel I bought many of the feelings out of the best way yesterday [Saturday],” Cavendish stated, referring to the tears he shed on crossing the end line on the Col de la Couillole, the place he had battled towards the time reduce within the mountains – and received – for one closing event within the Tour de France.
“I form of loved immediately. OK I couldn´t go straightforward, I knew if I bought to the highest of the climb by a sure level I’d be all proper for the time restrict, so I simply might try this, then I might simply actually take pleasure in it. Enjoy counting down the kilometres, see the flamme rouge for the final time, and see my household throughout the end line – it was very, very good.”
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With his place within the Tour’s historical past books now assured, and on account of end as lanterne rouge within the race total, Cavendish took his time when requested what he considered the final three weeks and what he had achieved, earlier than stating merely, “I’m extremely completely happy”.
“There are 11 groups that may go away the Tour with no win,” he stated, this assuming one of many beforehand profitable squads would take one other in a while Sunday, in fact. “[but] we bought the win, and we bought the win we needed, which is vital.
“Like the whole lot, you reside a rollercoaster within the Tour, you bond collectively as a bunch and also you benefit from the successes and the arduous instances collectively. I used to be so fortunate to have a bunch spherical me right here, that we might get by way of and obtain the success we needed and arrive right here at Nice to have fun.”
With no closing stage on the Champs Elysées, Cavendish stated that it was unusual for him to expertise his final day of the Tour with out stress.
“We went again to the resort yesterday, I simply needed to be with the boys and the crew, have a soothing dinner, sat and talked after that and that was it, actually. So it was relaxed for immediately however I nonetheless had a job to do.”
Asked if this actually was his final race, Cavendish took one other prolonged pause earlier than answering, “Likely so, yeah”.
After finishing the spherical of interviews, Cavendish headed to the crew bus together with his household, with dozens of wellwishers standing reverse to greet him. Also current on the Astana bus was crew supervisor Alexander Vinokourov, whose signing of Cavendish on the final minute in 2022 made breaking the Tour stage report beforehand held equally with Eddy Merckx a risk.
“Getting that thirty fifth stage was our objective, our dream,” Vinokourov informed Cyclingnews. “It´s additionally nice that we bought right here to Nice, all the best way right here… Just watching Mark experience that final kilometre was actually shifting to see.
“And simply seeing the best way he sprinted too, to get that thirty fifth win, after all of the arduous work that went into it – that was one thing very particular. It’s a dream come true, and this manner Mark has no regrets, both – it’s magnificent.”
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