Remco Evenepoel and Mark Cavendish didn't race too often together but in Soudal - Quick-Step they were teammates for two years. Two riders of completely different generations but Evenepoel spared a moment to congratulate the Manxman for his unbelievable achievement that was conquered this Wednesday.
A flat day but with some rain and a very fast finale, it certainly wasn't a relaxed day for the white jersey, but one that was ultimately saved. “It was a bit stressful in the last 40 kilometers when it started to rain, but we managed things well and we can be content with our day, as it was pretty straightforward," Evenepoel said in a press release issued after the stage by the team. "We hope things will continue like this for us in the next stages."
Evenepoel held it upright on a day where quite a few riders crashed, and ticks off another day in what is being close to a perfect Tour de France debut so far. At the finish he congratulated Cavendish: "I also want to congratulate Mark on his record, we were teammates for a couple of years and it’s pretty special to witness his achievement from the bunch”
Team manager Patrick Lefevere shared the sentiment upon seeing the win of the 'Manx Missile', adding that "Mark Cavendish was, is and always will be someone special. You either love him or you don't. But he has a good heart, he's someone who's very good inside". The feeling is common amongst most of the peloton who also shared the happiness of the Astana Qazaqstan Team in what was seemingly just one out of many expected Tour sprints.
This Thursday will be an important test for Soudal - Quick-Step who have brought a few classics riders into the lineup to support Evenepoel on the flat stages; and it may be specially important today as the winds will blow and positioning will be important.
Place comments
0 Comments
You are currently seeing only the comments you are notified about, if you want to see all comments from this post, click the button below.
Show all comments