"Last year I said to Mark: a rider like you can’t finish like this at the Tour" - Alexander Vinokourov beams with pride after Mark Cavendish writes history

Alekxander Vinokourov and his Astana Qazaqstan have all the reasons to smile after the fifth stage of the Tour de France. The team's big goal has been achieved: the 35th stage win for Mark Cavendish.

The Kazakh manager of Astana tells WielerFlits that he has always had confidence in the 'Manx missile'. Confidence that he now sees paying off. "It’s a long story," Vinokurov begins. "We started last year with a dream to realize. That this is now happening is great. Last year I said to Mark: a rider like you can’t finish like this at the Tour. You have to at least try. This year we wanted to try to reach the end of the Tour and see if we could make it."

However, after the opening weekend, the Astana Qazaqstan leader did not seem to be in a good position. "Not many people believed in it after the first two days. We believed in this dream, the team believed in it. Today is a good day. That’s great. Mark is a legend. Now that he won like this today, maybe he can win more. Of course, we are drinking champagne today, but at the end of the Tour we might have a really big party," laughs Vinokurov.