Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Mark Cavendish before the start of stage 5 of the Dubai Tour(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) on stage 1(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Mark Cavendish on the sign-on podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Elia Viviani, John Degenkolb, Marcel Kittel, Mark Cavendish and Yousif Mirza(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) hit his handlebars in frustration after his gears jumped in the final metres of the sprint during the final stage at the Dubai Tour.
He had just launched his sprint, coming from Marcel Kittel's rear wheel at the right moment, when his gears jumped. He was convinced he could have won but ended up fourth with the German taking his third stage of the race and the overall.
"My gears wouldn't stay into the 11 (sprocket) going from the 12. I thought I had it perfect but when I went to kick, it flicked my back wheel up. It seems that there's something ever day," he told the journalists just past the finish line.
"I felt brilliant today. The team were brilliant today too. It looks like all the guys are good too. I'm better than I thought I was, so that's alright. That's a positive I can take."
Cavendish replayed the sprint in his mind and in his own words.
"For us the finish line was at 1.5km to go. If we had anybody there for us it was an extra and Rensburg and Mark Renshaw were there.
"We knew that Quick-Step would come late, so we knew that if we didn't get swamped in the last corner… I was nervous that Trentin was coning inside. I backed off and let him and Mark and Kittel go. I thought I could play a bit and use Kittel to close the gap. It worked out sweet. I knew he'd have to launch earlier than 200m to go and I could come back. But it didn't quite work out."
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Despite failing to win a stage, Cavendish was happy with his season debut in the Dubai Tour. He is now considering riding the Volta ao Algarve before returning the UAE for the Abu Dhabi Tour.
Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
