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Ramblings of a retiree in France
Chapeau Cav!
I recently told a friend that, while Mark Cavendish would never win The Tour de France, he would definitely win one of the big classics. Well that someday was Saturday, 21 March 2009. He won by a cat’s whisker in a truly exciting, heart stopping finish: yet another wonderful, wonderful day for British cycling. I was so glad I’d decided to go down to San Remo to watch.
The trick to watching live racing is to find somewhere you can both watch and hear the race unfold, plus see the finish. Of course, when I said see the finish, I should have said feel the finish. They just go past in a blur. This time it was a black and white blur.
Almost no one thought Cav would win this year. Quite rightly both he and his team downplayed his chances. But he looked as cool as a cucumber over the Cipressa and Poggio, quietly staying in contact until the final run in to the line where he pipped Heinrich Haussler to the post.
Interviewed after the race, Cipo (Mario Cipollini) said Cav had an “extraordinary talent” and the great Eddy (Merkx) was equally complimentary. But the most emotional response was from Eric Zabel, who had tears in his eyes. Smarts to Bob Stapleton for hiring Mr Z to advise Cav. Money well and wisely spent.
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