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Stapleton: ‘Cavendish has wider range’

Denies anti-French allegations

Published: Jul. 16, 2009

Mark Cavendish’s victory in the uphill finish Wednesday at Saint-Fargeaux proved that the British sprinter’s isn’t a one-trick pony limited to the flats.

Just like his surprise victory at Milan-San Remo revealed this spring, a leaner and stronger Cavendish revealed he can get over the hills and win when the stage goes uphill.

“Milan-San Remo was a big wake-up, so was this win,” Columbia-HTC general manager Bob Stapleton told VeloNews. “I think it’s a big confidence builder. He just continues to grow and improve. He always continues to surprise. It shows an ever increasing range, ability and confidence.”

Before this year’s Tour, there was a consensus among the peloton that Cavendish could only open up his lethal finish-accelerations on the flats.

Cavendish shaved about six pounds off his frame since last year’s Summer Olympic Games in Beijing so he could get over the major climbs easier in grand tours. That paid off huge dividends in Milan-San Remo, when he pipped Heinrich Haussler at the line after making it over the Cipressa and Poggio easier than expected.

“He’s never been lacking in confidence, but he also is pretty critically aware of what he’s not good at,” Stapleton said. “He’s done the work so that he’s physically stronger uphill. He’s leaner, he’s stronger and it shows at the finish (Wednesday).”

Going into Thursday’s stage, Cavendish was four-for-five in sprint finishes so far in this Tour. He’s won every head-to-head duel in the bunch sprints, with his only “loss” in the uphill charge up Montjuic in Barcelona when he crossed the line 16th.

Stapleton said the team’s commitment to support Cavendish in the sprints makes for an imposing train.

So how can opposing teams beat Cavendish? Stapleton said it wouldn’t be easy.

“I think everyone is beatable, I think it will happen at some point during the Tour, but I think that the team should get some respect for what it’s doing with the train. A lot of the teams are not making the investment to their support riders that we do,” he said. “The only way to beat us is throw everything at us, and try to tire us out. That, over time, might work, but that might be the race after the Tour de France.”

On Thursday, Columbia called off the chase, but Cavendish beat green jersey rival Thor Hushovd (Cervélo) at the day’s first intermediate sprint and at the finish line sprint to tighten his grip on green with 200 points to Hushovd’s 190.

“We changed our strategy today and I decided to go for the points sprints because we’re getting closer to Paris,” Cavendish said. “We didn’t want to chase down the breakaway because the other teams aren’t helping us pull. Our guys are human. I want them to be fresh when we ride into the Alps. I’m getting a little bit tired, but I feel better at stage 12 this year than I did last year. Now I am focused on getting to Paris and winning on the Champs-Elysées.”

Denies anti-French allegations

Stapleton also denied suggestions that Cavendish harbors ill feelings toward France or French people.

The French daily L’Equipe published quotes from an unnamed French rider who said that Cavendish made anti-French comments while waiting for a flight on the rest day.

“There’s no substance at all to any concerns about him being anti-French. This race is his destiny,” Stapleton said. “France has made him a world recognized figure, he loves this race. He loves to race in France.”

Stapleton also said he’s not worried that Cavendish’s sometimes sharp-barbed tongue will come back to haunt him.

“Mark is a colorful guy; a lot of the riders love him. He’s got a big personality. He’s got a lot of respect of his teammates and other teams,” Stapleton concluded. “He’ll be provocative, if you attack him; he’ll come back for sure. I think overall he’s well-respected in the sport for his ability and he’s a normal guy with his feet on the ground. He connects pretty well with riders from a lot of different cultures.”