On a fine Sunday morning, the fans of a particular star were left overjoyed as they witnessed their favorite cross the finish line, taking home a remarkable win. Mark Cavendish of QuickStep-AlphaVinyl claimed the second British title of his career on June 26TH.
The spectators got to see that Cavendish, known for his outstanding sprinting capability, is an all-rounder. In the gloomy weather of Scotland, he became cutthroat with his performance, showing no mercy to his fellow competitors.
Cavendish entered a 14-rider group that fought tooth and nail to make it. This group was divided into two parts and after a lot of sprinting it came down to three people. In the final triage, The QuickStep-AlphaVinyl rider raced alongside Samuel Watson (Groupama-FDJ) and Alexandar Richardson.
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This group of three raced head-to-head, to claim the British title. Finally, Mark made the sprint he is so famous for and won. It would have been a disappointment if he had not won. Samuel Watson is a U23, while Alexandar Richardson is riding private this year as he has no team. This made Cavendish the only professional rider. Hence, the expectations!
Mark Cavendish suffered from a crash recently and this win clarifies all doubts related to his performance. Cavendish won his first title in 2013, so this win has left him quite amazed. He also won stage 3 of the Giro D’Italia. His love for competing in the nationals can be seen in his statement:
I love nationals, it’s a racing race, especially on this course. You’ve just got to put yourself in the race
He continued:
Quite often I sit and have to sprint, but I enjoy racing – it’s why I started. This course gave that possibility. We have a lot of good classics-style riders in Britain now, and to have a race like that with them was pretty special.
He also shared his strategy, so others can watch and learn. He said:
I know most people wouldn’t want to take me to the line, so it’s better to be proactive and whittle it down before then have all those people trying to whittle me down, and have to react. I tried to put myself ahead and let the others play catch-up
Mark Cavendish is a professional rider who is currently a part of the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team. He is the two-time winner of the British National Road Race Championship.
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Events of the Day:
From the very start, Mark Cavendish was seen trying to take the lead. He was accompanied by only one more team member. The race formed a group and Cavendish had to compete with Ben Turner (Team Ineos).
With 13. Km down, Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) tried to overcome the QuickStep-AlphaVinyl rider, alongside Jake Stewart and Lewis Askey of Groupama-FDJ. Hayter sprung a solo attack with just 65 km to the finish line.
Hayter continued to attack from the front. Right then, Turner teased Mark to deliver his winning move when he picked up speed and tried to take the lead. Matt Bostock could also be seen, but his time was brief as he was taken out by a crash.
In the end, Cavendish, Watson, and Richard formed a trio that raced for the win. In the last kilometer, fans held their breaths to see who will be crossing the line first.
For a short time, Watson did take the lead, but just then Cavendish delivered his winning sprint and took home the gold, while Watson got his hands on the silver.
| Pos | Rider | Time | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Cavendish | 4:31:06 | Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl |
| 2 | Sam Watson | + 00 | Groupama-FDJ |
| 3 | Alexandar Richardson | + 00 | - |
| 4 | Ben Turner | + 24 | Ineos Grenadiers |
| 5 | Matthew Bostock | + 1:41 | WiV SunGod |
| 6 | Lewis Askey | + 1:41 | Lewis Askey |
| 7 | Connor Swift | + 1:41 | Arkéa–Samsic |
| 8 | Owain Doull | + 1:41 | EF Education–EasyPost. |
| 9 | Ethan Hayter | + 1:48 | Ineos Grenadiers |
| 10 | John Archibald | + 1:48 | Eolo–Kometa |
Also Read: Groupama-FDJ Renews Contract With David Gaudu
Featured Image Via YouTube/ Cycling Pro Net
