Do it again Cav! It was a mission. Most of the 176 professionals who competed in this year’s Tour de France would have given Mark Cavendish one last cheer. Except for those who are looking for sprint wins themselves. The 1.75m tall, 70kg British sprinter, who can crouch and flex into a unique powerhouse on the home stretch, had come to the Tour at the age of 38 with one last leg to win, the thirty-fifth, the would have made him the sole record holder on the tour. Cavendish would have overtaken the incomparable Eddy Merckx.
And then this: There are still 64 kilometers to go to the finish of the eighth stage, which gives Cavendish his fourth chance; he only just missed the first three with places six, five and two. A bang, a bang, a fall. Cavendish is on the road. Three teammates are standing around him, trying to help him up, he has to get back up, he has to keep going, he has to win!
