Mark Cavendish has won 162 races, but his latest victory, on the final stage 21 of the Giro d’Italia in the centre of Rome, clearly meant a lot to him.
The Giro d’Italia is possibly Cavendish’s final race in Italy before retirement, and he has been on an emotional and physical rollercoaster since recently confirming his retirement at the end of the season.
Cavendish hugged his teammates and staff beyond the finish in Piazza Venezia, at the foot of the spectacular Altare della Patria monument and hugged the dozens of riders who congratulated him, including Geraint Thomas, who helped him with a high-speed lead-out.
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"It’s beautiful, what a way to end my Giro d’Italia,’ Cavendish said.
“My first Grand Tour victory was here in Italy in 2008, in Reggio Calabria, so to win in Rome is special. It’s the first time I’ve raced here, so to win is super nice.
“I couldn’t have ended my racing career in Italy with any better way than winning in Rome. It's a beautiful place to race. It’s perfect, really perfect.”
Cavendish confirmed that Geraint Thomas helped him with the lead out in the final kilometres, lining out the peloton at speed, with the Welshman admitting: “I thought I’d help a brother out.”
Cavendish then moved up past Jonathan Milan (Bahrain Victorious) and got into the slipstream of Fernando Gaviria. While other riders clashed and Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) crashed into the barriers, Gaviria opened his sprint early and gave Cavendish a perfect final lead-out.
Cavendish confirmed that he had asked Thomas for some help.
“I’d kind of said jokingly, ‘Fancy doing a lead out?’ Then he just shouted: ‘Cav!’ and did it,” Cavendish explained, praising Thomas as a fellow rider and friend.
“He’s so special and one of my best friends over the years,” he said.
“We saw yesterday with what he said, how upbeat and ever optimistic he is, despite losing the maglia rosa. That’s him down to a treat, it’s how he’s always been. He always sees a glass half full. That’s why he’s special.
“More than a great bike rider, he’s a ‘f*cking good person and a friend.”
Cavendish agreed that it was a fairytale ending to his Giro d’Italia.
He was fourth in Salerno, third in Tortona and even eighth in the rain in Viareggio after a hilly stage over the Apennines, yet a win had escaped him, just as it had so far in the 2023 season.
“To win with the boys, my friends and teammates, it’s one of those special stories that you have to get emotional and tell it with your hands like Italians do,’ Cavendish said.
“I suffered a lot in the last two weeks. Like a lot of guys, I’ve been sick. There was no way I’d have got through the mountains and to Rome without my boys around me.
“I’ve been part of some incredible teams, and you just know when you deserve a break. We deserved something from this Giro, and I’m happy to deliver it for the team."
