"He has to stay calm" - Alexander Vinokourov urges Cavendish to relax in chase for historic Tour de France stage win

If Mark Cavendish could add a historic 35th Tour de France stage to his palmares in the coming weeks, not only would be a career-defining win for the 'Manx Missile' but also a massive moment in the history of cycling's most iconic race. Astana Qazaqstan Team's boss Alexander Vinokourov is urging for calm.

“I think he’s in a good place,” Vinokourov told Spanish newspaper AS. “He’s pleased with the team, with his teammates and his stage 21 victory at the Giro d’Italia means his motivation is high. Our big goal is to get that stage, but he has to stay calm. That’s the most important thing of all."

With one of his chances having already come and gone, Cavendish finishing in sixth position on the stage 3 bunch sprint behind eventual winner Jasper Philipsen, Vinokourov is keen to stress that there is no need to worry. More chances will come.

“If he wins here that would be very nice, not just for him but also for the team," he explains. "It’d be a great way to finish his career. I don’t want to put him under more stress than he already feels. The day before the Tour we went out for a bike ride together and I told him he should keep calm."