In praise of Mark Cavendish
With all the hoopla of the Euros and Wimbledon Mark Cavendish’s win yesterday has rather slipped under the radar.
The Manxman is now within one of Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 stage wins and he still has four more sprints to come including the finale at Paris.
This is all the more praiseworthy as there are serious competitors for the green jersey like Peter Sagan – though Caleb Evans had to retire – Cavendish is 36 and has had his issues with his demons.
He is not a grimpeur (climber) and he will not win on today’s stage at Mont Ventoux where Tommy Simpson lost his life.
A cycling friend of mine scaled the mountain 20 years ago, which I witnessed, and on the summit there is a lunar landscape and the wind makes it bitterly cold.
