Mark Cavendish He's back to roaring. He did it at the Tour of Hungary, sweeping away his difficult spring. Even though the season had started well overall, with good altitude training in Colombia and a victory in the South American race.
Then here comes March and with it the problems, which officially materialized at the Tirreno-Adriatico. Tirreno ended with zero sprints contested and an early retirement, for the rider of theAstana QazaqstanThey tried to get him to do the Milan-Turin race a few days later, but still nothing good. The schedule has been revised: Greece, Türkiye, Greece again, and Hungary.
A month in Greece
Al Tour of Italy Mark's Hungarian exploits did not go unnoticed, just as his training camp in Greece did not go unnoticed. His historic coach, Vasilis Anastopoulos, he took him home. And those who knew the Greek coach knew that he would put the former world champion on track there.
«I decided – explains coach Antastopoulos – to take him to Greece because that's what was planned from the beginning of the season. Mark came to Athens at the beginning of April to train with me. This is his third time coming to Greece for a camp. He really likes it, so we decided to repeat the session this year too."
«Furthermore, the fact that cycling is not so popular in Greece means that almost no one recognizes Cav, and that's something Mark himself likes. He likes to train without receiving too much attention and stay focused».
The shape arrives
Antastopoulos knows Cavendish like few others. He knows his strengths and weaknesses. His constant presence is probably good for the English rider. On the one hand, it excites him, on the other, it gives him the necessary peace of mind, the certainty that he's working well. And indeed, the results were seen, or rather, re-seen, in Hungary.
«The start of the season – continues Vasilis – was very positive with the retreat in Colombia and the stage victory there, but Shortly before the Tirreno race, Cav got sick. He caught a very bad cold that lasted about two and a half weeks. So, together with the team's medical staff, we made the decision to cancel his participation in the spring races in Belgium and instead give him time to recover properly."
«And in fact also for this reason I'm not surprised he won in Hungary. All things considered, he was close to winning the final stage in Türkiye, which took place two weeks earlier. That day, he had a mechanical problem.
Volume and intensity
So, in Greece, Cavendish found the perfect training conditions. Good weather, the right courses, and, of course, a coach who followed him step by step... every day. The Hungarian race was a very important step towards the now legendary 35th victory of the Tour de France.
In Hungary, Cav even broke away in the final stage: just think how motivated he was…
«Here in Greece – says Antastopoulos – we can combine some long endurance rides with some high-tempo work without any problems. We spent almost a month training here. The plan included a bit of everything. We started with some long, easy rides and finished with some high-intensity work and sprints from behind the bike.
Towards the Tour
«What are your values? We still have some work to do – Anastopoulos specifies – but for now his level is quite good».
Finally, we asked the Greek coach if there had ever been any idea of bringing Cavendish to the Giro d'Italia. One might have thought that, with too many races left in his legs, the Giro d'Italia might be a good opportunity for him. But as we all know, these days, racing without being at your best is counterproductive.
"No, the idea of bringing him to the Giro d'Italia was never considered. We stuck to our plan. In the next few days we will be doing a retreat at high altitude in Sierra Nevada, then there will be the Tour de Suisse and so here is the Tour de France."
