He had a dream and he believed in it until the end. Mark Cavendish beats Eddy Merckx. Englishman wins stage 35 at Tour de France, never anyone like him. At 39, he achieved his 165th victory, perhaps the sweetest.
Against conflicting opinions. Against skepticism, and in a certain sense even against the teams that didn't want him, Mark did it. And for this reason too, this is a full-fledged success for theAstana-Qazaqstan.
Astana Confidence
“Project 35,” as this record was nicknamed, was born last year at the Tour, but ended early and in the worst possible way: “Cav” fell and went home. He had already announced his retirement after the Tour. But as mentioned, he had a dream. He felt he still had something to give. He retraces his steps and convinces Vinokourov, the manager of the turquoises, to keep him.
Vino accepts and raises the bid. He also brings him Morkov, its historic trailblazer, and its usual trainer: the Greek Vasilis Anastopoulos and a specific sports director, Mark Renshaw.
«In this Tour the team was all for him. Vinokourov gave him everything he could for this challenge.", he had told us Joseph Martinelli, one of Astana's sports directors, a few minutes before the success in Saint Vulbas.
In the race
The first mountains were behind him. Luck, among other things, had also turned against him. You'll remember Cavendish's ordeal on the first stage. Stomach ache and a race to the limit from the first climb.
But he was fine and in control. Yesterday in Valloire when he crossed the finish line his cheeks were red, but he was no more exhausted than the sprinters he had near him or of those who had come before him.
Today, towards Saint Vulbas, the rain made everything more difficult, but also legendary. But Cav, despite it all, was fine. He got the team to pull. A long train all his own, like in the old days.
In the sprint he was a tightrope walker jumping from one wheel to the other and when the gap at 250 meters presented itself, he opened the throttle definitively. His speed was very high. His style was the same as always. Fluid, powerful, agile: he crushed himself on his Wilier e There was none for anyone. Not even the current number one sprinter, Jasper Philipsen. The Belgian got maybe a meter ahead of him while he was slipstreaming, but then he stayed put. History was made.
Zanini laughs
Meanwhile, at the Astana-Qazaqstan stadium, the celebrations are raging. Hugs and pats on the back follow one another nonstop. You almost don't want to leave the finish line.
«This victory is thanks to everyone – explains Stefano Zanini, not without a hint of emotion – we believed in it, and it was right to do so. The whole team deserved it. Well done everyone. Well done to my teammates, well done to Cav, obviously, well done to the coach, the staff… In certain tense situations, a spark is enough to blow everything up, but instead we remained calm and united.».
Zanini is a sports director and a former sprinter, and certain sensations stay with you. He knows how to pick up even the smallest differences, interpreting his rider's signals, especially if he's a sprinter. And these days, he says he's seen Cavendish always on point.
"In particular," Zanini continues, "there was an unusual calm on the bus this morning. We had a nice meeting, with videos, images, various files... everyone had their say. Renshaw explained the sprint and the guys then moved perfectly. We didn't do anything different from usual, but I have to admit that there was a pleasantly relaxed, serene atmosphere: this was different.. So much clarity, maybe that's the right term, and it was beautiful."
"Delayed" celebration
So, everything was planned. As mentioned, Cavendish and his companions moved as they should. Except for a brief moment when they got lost, but even then they managed to find each other again. Then the rest is history.
"We didn't even see the sprint. There was no TV at the time," Zazà continues, "and we found out a few seconds later. Suddenly, cars and motorcycles started arriving at our car. They were all shaking their thumbs at us and applauding us… Then we understood and the roar broke out.
"When “Project 35” has truly begunLast year... then whatever happened happened, but since the winter we've been working very carefully and thoroughly. Everyone knew what they had to do. And even in these first stages, despite the stomach problem I had at the start of the first stage, by the second half of the stage I was feeling better. We've always calculated every kilometer, every watt, and every type of climb, so as not to expend an ounce of extra energy. Truly: this was a victory for all of us."
“Cav” incredulous
And finally, there's Mark Cavendish. We close with his words. After bringing his entire family to the podium, "Cannonball" says: "I can't believe it. It was a huge gamble to be here and try to win. A big gamble for my boss Vinokourov. It shows that he's a former rider and knows the Tour. We did what we wanted. Every detail in terms of equipment and teammates was adapted for the sprint."
Everyone, absolutely all the riders go to congratulate him. Even Pogacar, even the other sprinters. Social media instantly went crazy. For cycling fans, the topic is monotonous: a name and a number. Mark Cavendish and the 35.
"It usually takes me a while to get used to certain mechanisms. I know how it works now. I don't like bad days, but you have to face them and wait for your chance. And we did. Today, even though not everything went perfectly in the finale, the guys were able to improvise and led me to the sprint in a great position. It took me 15 Tours to get here».
