Mark Cavendish plays down speculation about Tour de France ride
Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-QuickStep) has hit back again at speculation that he could possibly substitute an hurt Sam Bennett at the future Tour de France, insisting the Irishman is continue to Deceuninck-QuickStep’s to start with alternative but devoid of ruling himself out of ultimate assortment.
Cavendish gained stage 5 at the Baloise Belgium Tour on Sunday demonstrating sturdy sort and outstanding velocity in the sprint but diplomatically reported that the team will hold out and see how perfectly Bennett recovers in advance of making any choices.
“We have to see,” Cavendish claimed in a post-race interview at the Basloise Belgium Tour.
“We have the existing inexperienced-jersey winner in Sam Bennett. I consider it’s right to see how he’s going just before we consider of anything else.”
Deceuninck-QuickStep declared very last 7 days that Bennett was forced to pass up the Baloise Belgium Tour owing to a proper knee injury sustained in a schooling journey.
Cavendish was then termed up to exchange Bennett at the Baloise Belgium Tour, with the Manxman joined at the five-working day race by Davide Ballerini, Iljo Keisse, Yves Lampaert, Michael Mørkøv, Zdenek Štybar and Remco Evenepoel.
Cavendish won the finale stage 5 and Evenepoel won the over-all classification on Sunday.
“Belgium was often on my programme and Sam needed to do it, so I received kicked out of it, so it’s serendipity that I’m again in it with Mørkøv and the relaxation of the men Ballerini, Stybar, Remco, Yves and Iijo. That’s a strike crew,” Cavendish spelled out with pleasure.
“Which is a group that any kid would dream of being in, and I’m a 36-year-old that is been all over for a large amount of many years.”
On Saturday Deceuninck-QuickStep group supervisor Patrick Lefevere disclosed that Bennett’s knee challenge could imply he misses the Tour de France, but also stated that it would be not likely that he would be changed by Cavendish except if a new, superior compensated, agreement could be agreed for the relaxation of the period and for 2022.
In his weekly column in Het Niewsblad, Lefevere mentioned that he spoke with Cavendish about competing in one more Grand Tour, but Cavendish explained, “not at this salary, no.”
Lefevere also pointed to the level of pressure that would be put on Cavendish ought to he compete at the Tour de France, which he claimed would be unfair, pointing to more force put on him over breaking Eddy Merckx’s report of 34 stage wins. Cavendish has won 30.
“It’s not reasonable to have a rider with a minimum amount contract as a Deceuninck-QuickStep lead sprinter, with all the strain and expectations that appear with it,” Lefevere wrote.
Lefevere also stated there was “no actual plan B as a sprinter” for the Tour de France and that the staff would allow for Bennett, who won the environmentally friendly details jersey past year, time to rest until finally Monday before producing any additional selections.
Cavendish signed with Deceuninck-QuickStep at the commence of this period, noted with extra sponsors masking his reduced-level agreement after his occupation almost finished in 2020 just after various seasons strike by Epstein-Barr syndrome. Having said that he slowly located type and has relished a run of achievement with four phase wins at the Tour of Turkey in April. His phase 5 victory at the Baloise Belgium Tour marks his fifth gain of this time.
In a write-up-race interview in Beringen, Cavendish was asked if he has had conversations with Lefevere about competing at the Tour de France or if he required to be on the start off line in Brest on June 26. He did not expose if he desires to ride the Tour de France but did not transform it down, blaming the media for the buzz and speculation about his feasible presence in France.
“I don’t know. At the end of the working day, it’s all communicate,” he stated, evidently psychological following his sprint acquire the place he conquer feasible Tour rivals Tim Merlier (Alpecin-Fenix), Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal).
“The explanation the complete Tour de France came up – I did not point out it and Patrick didn’t point out it – I received in Tour of Turkey and all of a unexpected the media started out conversing about it,” Cavendish reported.
“This is a issue that occurs a ton. The issue with Eddy Merckx history? I never ever started that, it was the media that commenced that, and all of a sudden, it is like, I’m heading for it.
“It is the exact with this. It’s you men [the media] that commenced no matter if or not I should really go to the Tour de France,” Cavendish said.
