Cavendish wins Olympic test on 'dangerous' road course
Source: Agencies |
August 15, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
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MARK Cavendish underlined his status as the man to beat at next year's Olympic Games by winning the road race test event through London's streets yesterday, but one competitor labelled the course "dangerous".
The tight and technical route caused several bottlenecks for the competitors and support vehicles as the 139-man field set a blistering pace to leave British spectators, unfamiliar with watching live road cycling, open-mouthed in astonishment.
Briton Cavendish, the Tour de France's most successful sprinter, won the 140.3-kilometer event starting and finishing near Buckingham Palace in a time of three hours 18 minutes 11 seconds. He paid tribute to the vast crowds, who turned up despite widespread rioting in London earlier in the week. "It was incredible, it shows how many people are into cycling in Great Britain at the moment," the 26-year-old said.
"The course was so full you couldn't even take a wee," he joked earlier on the podium, his model girlfriend watching on.
Sacha Modolo of Italy was second and France's Samuel Dumoulin was third, the latter happy with his performance but not overjoyed about the narrow streets.
"At the end it's fine but at the start the route is not made for a race of this size," Dumoulin said.
"It's pretty dangerous," he added.
Manxman Cavendish, whose name has been linked to Britain's Team Sky after his successful HTC-Highroad announced it will fold at the end of the season, was kitted out in a blue outfit with the name of British cycling sponsors Sky emblazoned on it.
"Anybody would like Mark Cavendish on their team," a grinning Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford replied when asked if talks to sign the prolific winner were under way.
The tight and technical route caused several bottlenecks for the competitors and support vehicles as the 139-man field set a blistering pace to leave British spectators, unfamiliar with watching live road cycling, open-mouthed in astonishment.
Briton Cavendish, the Tour de France's most successful sprinter, won the 140.3-kilometer event starting and finishing near Buckingham Palace in a time of three hours 18 minutes 11 seconds. He paid tribute to the vast crowds, who turned up despite widespread rioting in London earlier in the week. "It was incredible, it shows how many people are into cycling in Great Britain at the moment," the 26-year-old said.
"The course was so full you couldn't even take a wee," he joked earlier on the podium, his model girlfriend watching on.
Sacha Modolo of Italy was second and France's Samuel Dumoulin was third, the latter happy with his performance but not overjoyed about the narrow streets.
"At the end it's fine but at the start the route is not made for a race of this size," Dumoulin said.
"It's pretty dangerous," he added.
Manxman Cavendish, whose name has been linked to Britain's Team Sky after his successful HTC-Highroad announced it will fold at the end of the season, was kitted out in a blue outfit with the name of British cycling sponsors Sky emblazoned on it.
"Anybody would like Mark Cavendish on their team," a grinning Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford replied when asked if talks to sign the prolific winner were under way.
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