Mark Cavendish has suffered a knock to his chances of taking the green jersey in this year’s Tour, losing out on the chance to take points on the opening stage when he was involved in a crash approximately two kilometres from the finish in Brussels.
Cavendish appears to have caused the incident, carrying straight on at a bad right hand bend, and scything through the bunch. L’Equipe’s expert commentator Jean Francois Bernard think that it is a mistake which could cost him dearly.
“This is the second consecutive time he finds himself in the lead role in a crash between sprinters,” he stated, referring also to the big fall in the Tour of Switzerland. “He is so carefree…I don’t think this is going to slow him down, but there is now some room for doubt in mind.”
As observed by the Eurosport blogger Blazing Saddles, you have to go right back to 1993 to find the last time the eventual winner of the Maillot Vert didn’t score points on the first road stage. And as Bernard outlines, Cavendish doesn’t fare as well as Hushovd on undulating terrain, and so he needs to maximise his opportunities when they come along.
“His goal of the green jersey has taken a hit in the wing: he scored zero points, just like Tyler Farrar, while Thor Hushovd took 26,” he said. “Unlike the Norwegian [Hushovd], he doesn’t have so many opportunities to score points, maybe even six stages more. Collectively, HTC-Columbia has also been less impressive than last year at the head [of the bunch] and was seriously challenged by the Lampre train. The fall of Hansen won’t help things.”
Adam Hansen crashed early in the stage and did not start today’s. He has a broken collarbone and fractured sternum, but showed great courage in finishing yesterday.
Cavendish can take some consolation from the fact that Farrar also missed out. The American Garmin Transitions rider looked well placed to fight it out for the stage win but his bike tangled with that of Lloyd Mondory (Ag2r La Mondiale). The Frenchman hit him from behind and destroyed his rear derailleur.
However Hushovd’s third place will be a big worry. As the Norwegian showed twelve months ago, he’s well capable of holding his own on the lumpy intermediate stages. He’s also a superb bike handler on cobblestones, and so he has the chance to pick up further points in the next 30 hours.
Today’s stage to Spa crosses some of the climbs of Liège Bastogne Liège. Depending on how hard the favourites ride, Hushovd could add to his tally in the intermediate sprints. He’ll certainly be optimistic about tomorrow’s leg to Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, as it covers seven sectors of pavé, totalling 13 kilometres.
The Cervélo Test Team rider has finished second and third in Paris-Roubaix and could well be in contention for victory. Cavendish has nothing like the same history on the cobblestones, and so he’ll be trying to limit his losses.
Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre – Farnese Vini) triumphed yesterday, beating Cavendish’s team-mate Mark Renshaw, Hushovd and Robbie McEwen to the line.
The latter is a three-time winner of the Maillot Vert and is another threat. He’s coming back from a bad knee injury but said before the Tour that he was very happy with his form and expected to be in the fight for stage victories.