Sarzeau: Mark Cavendish and fellow sprinters are licking their lips ahead of Tuesday’s Tour de France fourth stage, a coastal run that barring a miracle will end in a mass sprint finish.
The 195-km (125 miles) stage from La Baule to Sarzeau offers the peloton a stunning backdrop on a road that never strays far from the coast and ends in an epic four-kilometre home-straight, with the only danger coming from stiff off-shore breezes.
After three different yellow jersey wearers in three stages so far, the new wearer Greg van Avermaet, the Olympic road race champion, says he plans to hold on to it this time.
“It won’t be easy with the wind and there are many teams chasing the honour of wearing the jersey,” Van Avermaet, who races with Monday’s time trial winners BMC, said just ahead of the Tuesday’s departure.
“But we’ll be working hard as a team again to protect the yellow jersey,” said Van Avermaet, who many pundits feel may have a couple of stage wins in him before the Tour turns to the Alps.
But the 33-year-old is unlikely to win on Tuesday and among those aiming to stop him is Briton Cavendish, a veteran with 30 stage wins to his name.
That leaves Cavendish just four short of the all-time record of Eddy Merckx, but he has yet to hit for himself on this Tour.
“I’m here to get closer to that record,” said the 33-year-old.
“But I’ll be honest, I’m just excited to still be here at what is not only the biggest event in cycling, but one of the biggest events in world sport.”
This year’s race offers Cavendish the chance to emulate 2016, when he won the first, third and sixth stages as well as the 14th.
Last year, his Tour ended early with a crash as he chased another victory in a bunch sprint at the end of the fourth stage. — AFP
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