Says team is ready to stamp its authority on race
In the height of the summer he’s clearly the fastest rider on the HTC-Highroad team, but Mark Cavendish appears set to share the leadership during the Santos Tour Down Under.
The 15-time Tour de France stage winner has decided to begin his season early and the team will set out to take as many stages as is possible in the race.
“We’ve got an entire group of guys who are in form and motivated,” he said. “We’ve got three fast guys here and they’re all diverse. I’m one of the fast guys here, [Matt] Goss is a strong guy and Mark [Renshaw] is the perfect lead out guy – we’ve got all the fields covered.”
Cavendish hasn’t raced in months but Goss showed strong form last week when he took two stages plus the overall in the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic. He’s regarded as a possible winner of the race, but his Manx team-mate will of course try to take at least a stage.
Cavendish may not admit it, but he’s got an added incentive in that he will be going head to head with his former team-mate Andre Greipel. The two developed a strong rivalry during their time on the HTC team, with Cavendish getting the nod each year when it came to selection for the Tour de France.
Greipel became frustrated with playing second fiddle and left for Omega Pharma Lotto at the end of last season.
He’s won the Santos Tour Down Under twice and is motivated to do so again, but Cavendish is determined that HTC-Highroad will have a successful race.
“It’s a sprinters’ race and a big race on the calendar,” he said, according to Iamspecialized.com. “We’ve come here with a very strong team and we are ready to stamp our authority.”
Racing begins with the Adelaide Cancer Council Classic on Sunday, with the Santos Tour Down Under starting properly on Tuesday.