Mark Cavendish finished of the Columbia-HTC lead out at the Tour of Missouri on Monday, sprinting to win Stage One of the Tour, taking with him the leaders jersey and a Buell 1150cc motorbike.

A break of three riders spent the majority of the race out in front during the 120km circuit race around the streets of St Louis. They were gradually reeled in during the last lap of racing.

“The guys did a great job,” said Cavendish. “Cervelo tried to give us a hard time at the end but the guys kept control and did a perfect job.

“George fell down a hole in the road in the final, so I hope he’s ok,” he added. “I jumped on Thor’s [Hushhovd] wheel and came round him.”

“I didn't feel too good today due to the jetlag, but it was a pretty straight forward race and the guys kept it under control from the beginning.”

Cavendish looks forward to taking his new Buell for a spin in the off season.
“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “I'll get my license in the next couple of months so I can take it for a ride.”