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Headwind kills Mark Cavendish's UAE Tour sprint but Astana see leadout work to perfection: "I think Cav had absolute perfect position and the team did it exceptionally well"
CyclingFriday, 23 February 2024 at 16:15
Stage 5 of the UAE Tour was the third bunch sprint of the race and the first that Mark Cavendish contested. The Manxman in fact was in strong position and Astana Qazaqstan Team's leadout worked to perfection, but the headwind sealed the deal when it came to his chances of taking a win.
"We had [Gleb] Syritsa do an awesome job, [Michele] Gazzoli and also Dmitriy Gruzdev and unfortunately, Cav didn't have it to go all the way to the line," team DS Mark Renshaw told GCN following the stage. "He had to hit out quite early, but he is really happy and I'm really happy. It's tricky, we had about a 20km/h head-cross/tail-cross, it was swinging crosswind. So with those conditions, the wide road and an easy stage, it's really tricky to read the perfect moment."
Riders have found that; Tim Merlier is the only sprinter that has consistently finished among the first this week and took two stage wins. Cavendish was absent from two sprints but today was bumping shoulders with the best. Michael Morkov was able to deliver him in the right position, but an early sprint saw him lose the legs in the final meters. He crossed the finish line in 17th place.
"I think Cav had absolute perfect position and the team did it exceptionally well. Seeing Mørkøv deliver Cav inside the final 250m/300m, it gives us a big positive for the day," Renshaw concludes, having in eye the Tour de France.
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