ROME - Marc Cavendish is back in Cannonball… Triumph on Via dei Fori Imperiali and a cry of liberation. How much Cav sought this victory. How much he fought to obtain it. We had headlined: Cavendish, only Rome is missing… and he answered us with facts.
Ithe rider of theAstana-Qazaqstan he presses on the handlebars like in the old days. It comes out of the semi-curve that leads towards Piazza Venezia in an excellent position and when Milan He sprints to the left, making his sprint. Alone. Powerful. Just Cav and the finish line.
The timing is perfect, the gears are ideal… all you have to do is put your power and speed into the pedals. And Cavendish knows how to do it well. He relives the old sensations.
Teamwork
Astana teammates hug each other after the finish. Christian Scaroni it is almost crushed by English.
«He believed in it so much – says Scaroni, still out of breath – Today he asked us to stay close to him, to help him. We kept him covered throughout the race, which wasn't all that easy. Our role was to help him avoid the "whiplashes"... because there were so many curves and so many relaunches.
"And we did it... as much as we could. We kept him ahead until the last lap. Then not having a real last man it was Gianni moscon to stay close to him in the final kilometers."
"At that point," Moscon explains, "Cav sorted himself out a bit. Luis Leon Sanchez and I tried to support him until the final kilometer. But today Marc truly believed it, because a champion always believes. With class, he can do things others can't. Having achieved this today in Rome is wonderful."
From the Alps…
But this victory was not born today at the start of the Eur. It is the fruit of long work, carried out with patience over these months, since he arrived in extremis this winter on the turquoise team. So many races, so many retirements, but never – not even once – the thought of giving up.
In the Alps, Cavendish produced a true masterpiece. On the day of the Bondone—just 24 hours after announcing his retirement at the end of the season—we were on the roadside. On the Santa Cristina, the first tough climb of the day. Well, Marc had passed last and far behind. Behind him was the limit switch and a companion escorting him.
At that moment the risk of finishing outside the time limit was really high. He pedaled unsteadily. He was sweating. His mouth was open. Then, when the descent began—we were following him in the car behind the end of the slope—he disappeared. He raced downhill like a madman, and once he reached the valley, with the help of other companions who were waiting for him, he managed to recapture a group of people.
In Rome
It was a huge effort and in fact the next day in Caorle it just wasn't going well, even though there wasn't even an overpass.
But this is where the champion emerged. The experienced man. You might have thought things would only get worse, but Marc did his part. He managed his energy perfectly. He "caressed" the fastest times and showed up in Rome more combative than ever.
«Absolutely true – continues Scaroni – We helped him in this Giro. He suffered a lot on the climbs, but he always did it with this stage in mind."
Thomas's Pearl
Marc absolutely wanted to finish the Giro d'Italia. He wanted to accumulate effort, maybe even find his ideal weight, because he has another goal: the absolute record of stages at the Tour and even detach Eddy Merckx.
"This victory," he said, "gives me confidence for the next race, whatever it may be. I suffered a lot in this Giro. Like many other riders, I was sick too. I kept seeing people going home. But I wanted to move on
«This morning I told the boys that it could be done: “We have a chance, we have to take it.” Winning here is special. Italy is my second home. This is also a victory for them and for the team."
But if all this is true, What seemed like an impression on TV is also true: the extra help of Geraint Thomas. He was the leader of the Ineos Grenadiers to escort him to the best position.
“It’s true,” Cavendish says, “Geraint helped me. At a certain point he saw me there in front and said: “Hey Cav, come on”. I've known him for 25 years. "G" is what I would call a true friend. Yesterday he lost the pink jersey and today here he is... a great one."
