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After a tough week, Mark Cavendish had a reason to smile again at the Tour de France.
The British sprint specialist led a breakaway bunch on Friday to win Stage 13 for his 25th career victory at the Tour, putting him level with Frenchman Andre Leducq on the all-time list.
Cavendish said his Omega Pharma QuickStep team will “have some Champagne tonight” after the flat but wind-swept 173km trek in central France.
It hasn’t always been so easy, under the pressures of being on cycling’s greatest stage.
A day earlier, Cavendish was beaten in a sprint by Germany’s Marcel Kittel. On Tuesday, he said a fan doused him with urine during the individual time-trial.
The stage before that, Cavendish was criticised after bumping Tom Veelers in the final dash. The Dutchman crashed, and the Briton lost the sprint. Cavendish then questioned the way his teammates had ridden, and bared a temper while speaking to reporters.
On Friday, it was nothing but praise for his teammates, who craftily took advantage of gusty winds that split asunder the pack.
“They rode like animals today. They rode until their legs fell off,” Cavendish said. “It shows you what incredible teammates I have, I’m incredibly proud of them. Tactically we were perfect.”
The 28-year-old native of the Isle of Man is considered the best sprinter of his generation, though he’s been shown up so far this Tour by Kittel. However, the German rider got stalled by the wind that split the pack, and wasn’t up front to participate in the final sprint.
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