Mark Cavendish knew at this morning’s start in Castelfidardo that he had an important day ahead of him; bunch sprint opportunities have been scarce in this Giro, and he has his final chance to take a stage victory in the race today.
Despite the weight of expectation, he was in a relatively relaxed mood. He signed autographs for fans, posed for photographs and even sang a few bars of a song at the request of Italian TV in the sign on area. Afterwards, Cavendish spoke to VeloNation about the chances for a big gallop.
“We hope so,” he said, when asked if a bunch finish was a certainty. “It is probably going to be down to our team to control it, nobody really wants to help until the last few kilometres. We will try our best…hopefully a good group goes that we can control and bring back for a bunch sprint.”
Cavendish has already shown his speed in this race, decisively winning stage 10 to Teramo and also netting a close second to Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) on stage two. He felt he would have won the latter stage had the Italian not deviated off his line, although he later relented on his calls for the Italian’s disqualification.
Given his form and his confidence, he is the clear favourite if things do finish together today. But whatever happens, he confirmed this morning that he was heading home afterwards.
“There’s no more sprints for me. Maybe for riders like Petacchi, these riders, but for me there’s no more sprints. It’s a shame, I like the race, but it’s not a hobby…it’s a profession and I’ve two more Grand Tours to do this year.” He will ride the Vuelta a España to prepare for the world championships in Copenhagen. The race there is generally regarded as the best chance in nine years for a sprinter’s victory.
After leaving the Giro, Cavendish said that he will do the Tour de Suisse and then a training camp prior to the start of the Tour. He’s aiming for the green jersey this year, and also wants to add to his career haul of 15 stage victories.