Credit: Mario Stiehl

Credit: Mario Stiehl

Credit: Mario Stiehl

Credit: Mario Stiehl

Credit: Mario Stiehl

 

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Mark Cavendish wins the first stage and takes leaders jersey in the Tour of Ireland

August 27, 2008

Team Columbia’s Mark Cavendish made his return to road racing at the
Tour of Ireland on Wednesday and immediately won again and also pulled on the race leader’s yellow jersey.

Cavendish has not raced since retiring from the Tour de France but showed he has not lost his natural high speed sprint. He beat New Zealand’s Julian Dean and Alexander Kristoff of Norway in a bunch sprint after 192km of racing across the spectacular Irish countryside.

It was Cavendish’s thirteenth win of the 2008 season and he has now added a stage in at the Tour of Ireland to his two stages wins in the Giro d’Italia and his four stage wins in the Tour de France.

The opening stage of the Tour of Ireland was from Dublin to Waterford. It was not a flat easy stage but Cavendish fought to stay with the leaders on the climbs, knowing that he had a great chance of winning the stage and taking the first leader’s jersey.

Four riders formed a long-range breakaway but the peloton kept them under control and then Team Columbia played a major role in bringing the bunch back together so that Cavendish could use his sprint.

"I was really pleased with the way the team rode today. Everybody saw how well they worked for me and like always they pulled the break back and then set me up for the sprint,” Cavendish said gratefully.

My form is not so good after just travelling back from Beijing, so it just shows how you need such a strong team behind you. I think we’ve shown all year how strong we are as a team, and to come to Ireland and do it again is perfect. To come away with the yellow jersey after the first stage is even better.”

The five-day Tour of Ireland runs until Sunday and Cavendish and Team Columbia have a chance for more stage victories and perhaps even overall success. Thursday’s second stage is from Thurles to Loughrea in the centre of Ireland over a distance of 158km. The stage includes two early climbs but then flattens out in the second half. Cavendish is hoping to quickly find his best form so that he can defend the race leader’s jersey as long as possible.

Team Columbia were also competing in the final stage of the Eneco Tour on Wednesday and rode the GP Ouest France race in Plouay on Monday. However the success in Ireland proved the strength in depth of the team as it competes on three fronts.

In the team for the Tour of Ireland as well as Mark Cavendish are: Bernhard Eisel, Marco Pinotti, Morris Possoni, Frantisek Rabon and Michael Barry. Brian Holm is directeur sportif.