Mark Cavendish has done it again, after conquering Milano-Torino he has nabbed himself the third victory of 2022. Fierce competition, frustration, tears of joy, and sadness gave Milano-Torino a new spot on the calendar that will be celebrated for years to come. Milano-Torino was going to serve as an appetizer before Milan-San Remo but that has changed now, the importance of that event has been lifted significantly.
Naturally, Cavendish would have aimed at Milan-San Remo after conquering Milano-Torino but that did not happen. Team Quick-Step AlphaVinyl has called Fabio Jakobsen on the front lines, although that should have been Cavendish’s spot as he has the expertise for it.
Mark Cavendish revealed at a press conference after taking the Milano-Torino win that he was not asked to race in the Milan-San Remo by anyone in the team. This classic event certainly holds a special place in his heart, after all, this is where he defeated Heinrich Haussler 13 years ago, it would have been a pure joy to race in the Milan-San Remo again.
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Cavendish stated in a press conference:
You’ll have to ask the team. No one from the team talked to me about it, so I don’t know, I don’t know. Obviously, I have won it. I’d like to do it, but nobody talked to me so…
I’m on a separate program this year. I don’t really do any big races, though I’ll be back in Italy for the Giro d’Italia.
There were early rumors of an intra-team sprint competition between Mark Cavendish and Fabio Jakobsen, the one who gets the most wins will get to have a shot at the big leagues, but this has been dismissed by everyone, not just the cyclists but also the team management.
After all these races, it seems that Tour De France was the main goal from the very start. Everything now points at Jakobsen leaving for France and not Cavendish but that does not matter a lot for the Briton.
After taking his historic 159th victory in Rivoli, Cavendish stated that he loves racing per se, and is not focused on statistics and numbers anymore.
The numbers are just a statistic and I’m not a rider on statistics. I’m a rider at heart, and I just love it. I’m having fun with my friends and that’s all that matters to me.
Cavendish also had high praise for his teammates, especially Michael Mørkøv, whom he loved racing with.
Today we had that team that is dedicated to a full sprint team and then obviously with Michael at the end, you have the best opportunity for everyone.
He’s not only important for me; he’s important for anybody who has ever ridden with him. You know you have the best opportunity when you have Michael Mørkøv.
You can rely on him. I was lucky to have Michael come over, especially for this race for me. And it’s not just Michael but all the guys we had – the seven guys we had here – I was in with the best shot of winning this race, definitely.
Hearing Mark Cavendish say that he loved racing just for racing is a joy, there are not many riders out there that take part in this sport just for the enjoyment. There are many great things ahead of Cavendish and we will be keeping a close eye on him. Stay tuned for more updates!
Also Read: Sonny Colbrelli Out Of Milan-San Remo Due To Bronchitis Reemergence
Featured Image Via YouTube/ Cycling Pro Net
