Mark Cavendish "a bit disappointed" with third place at Heistse Pijl

Mark Cavendish was back on the start line for the 52nd edition of Heistse Pijl, one week after arriving in Verona with the rest of his teammates and ending up at the Giro d'Italia alongside Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team.

The event, which took place on a 192.8km circuit between Vosselaar and Heist-op-den-Berg, was described as an ideal chance for sprinters to compete for victory, despite the existence of a 400m hill averaging 4.9% just one kilometer from the finish line.

Mark Cavendish's chain came off at the worst possible time. Despite losing many places in the group and crucial energy, the Giro d'Italia stage winner showed his class and swift legs, finishing third behind Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-Soudal) for his ninth podium of the season.

“I’m a bit disappointed after the amazing work the guys did the whole day. On the descent, my chain came off and I tried to get it back on, but I lost a couple of positions there and knew it was going to be difficult. Despite that, I tried and did my best in the sprint, but it’s just a shame given the form and positioning I had before that problem”, Cavendish said after the race.