Briton Cavendish seals historic Tour hat-trick
Mark Cavendish lifted some of the gloom surrounding the Tour de France by becoming the first Briton to secure a hat-trick of stage victories in the Tour de France.
Unlike his second victory, Cavendish had to complete the final sprint from Lavelanet to Narbonne without the help of a team-mate, and he peeled out to the left to overhaul the Milram team with comparative ease.
His achievement surpasses that of another sprinter, Barry Hoban, who won two stages in both 1969 and 1973.
With three consecutive defeats of Thor Hushovd, Erik Zabel and Oscar Freire, the 23-year-old Cavendish can legitimately claim the title of fastest sprinter in the world, even with the absence of Tom Boonen through recreational drug use.
"This was the hardest of the three stage wins, without a doubt," Cavendish, above, said.
"Conditions were harsher than they were in the other two. There was lots of argy-bargy in the final sprint. But this time I managed to win by a bike length."
The full article contains 177 words and appears in EP Leeds First & County newspaper.
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Last Updated:
18 July 2008 8:15 AM
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Source:
EP Leeds First & County
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Location:
Leeds
