Cavendish lays down London 2012 marker
Manxman beats Modolo and Dumoulin in Olympic test event
Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) won the Olympic Games test event with a trademark sprint along the Mall in London on Sunday. The Manxman was led to the line perfectly by his teammates, avoided a crash within the final 3 kilometres and beat Sacha Modolo (Italy) and Samuel Dumoulin (France) in his first serious race since the Tour de France.
With the Olympics less than a year away Cavendish will take many positives from today's win but the Tour's green jersey was keen to stress that the hard work starts here and that today's course, comprising of just two laps of Box Hill - the Olympic route has 9 - will throw up a completely different and much tougher challenge.
"I can tell you that this is best group of British riders we've ever had. Together, this is the first real time we've ridden together as a unit and it was liking riding with my trade team or a team that had been together for two or three years. Everyone was spectacular and committed, giving 100 per cent and they just gelled. They knew what they had to do and they did it with passion," he said.
"I said even before the race today that you won’t even get a feel of how the race will go next year from what happens today. It's not just the hill, it's double the distance for the race. For the race it wasn't about getting a feel for next year's race. I'll have to be on my best form to win it.”
At least today Cavendish will have learnt how to race in the capital as the marked favourite. After an initial break of four riders escaped in the opening stages, it was Team England who began to chase once the lead went over the six-minute mark.
The break, consisting of Kristian House (Rapha Condor - Sharp), Liam Holohan (Team Raleigh), Tom Murray (Sigma Sport - Specialized) and Cleberson Weber (Brazil) had a 3-minute advantage as the race left Richmond Park but the lead stretched out to 6:32 after the 50km mark.
It stirred the bunch into life and despite brave resistance from the quartet up the road, their lead quickly began to drop. House claimed maximum points on the first and second ascents of Box Hill but on the second time Weber cracked and Murray followed him shortly afterwards.
With 30 kilometres to go, England - who admitted they were working in conjunction with Cavendish’s Great Britain team - increased the pace, despite Heinrich Haussler and Luca Paolini making a joint bid for glory. That pairing failed, however, and with House the final form of resistance, it was left to the sprinters to decide the race.
Or so it appeared. Having confirmed to Cyclingnews prior to the start that he would hang up his wheels at the end of the season, Kurt-Asle Arvesen made a daring bid for solo glory inside the final 5 kilometres. For the briefest of moments it looked possible as he drew out a 10 second lead, but with so many GB riders still present the likelihood of a sprint increased.
A crash in the finale ruled out Tyler Farrar (USA) who had already had to battle back from a puncture. The crash itself involved Cavendish and a contingent from the Japanese team. After the race Cavendish was quick to play down the incident.
"I was complaining about two Japanese riders at the finish. Most of them are professional riders so it's not like they've not ridden in the professional ranks. I think if you ask many people it takes a brave person to try and push me off my lead-out man and twice in the last 5km I had Japanese riders trying to do it. If I stay solid, they're not big guys, and they're going to bounce off me and come down."
Farrar was not the only rider held up, however, as the Australian lead-out also splintered, with only Stuart O'Grady and Matthew Goss making it through.
In the finishing straight, Cavendish, just as he does with HTC, made perfect use of his lead-out. Downing and then Hunt delivered him to the final few hundred meters in the perfect position, and he unleashed a powerful sprint to distance Sacha Modolo and Samuel Dumoulin.
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) | 3:18:11 |
2 | Sacha Modolo (Italy) | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
3 | Samuel Dumoulin (France) | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Stuart O'grady (Australia) | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
5 | Michal Golas (Poland) | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Borut Bozic (Slovenia) | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
7 | Alexander Kristoff (Norway) | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Matthew Goss (Australia) | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Ian Bibby (Great Britain) | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | Andrew Tennant (Great Britain) | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
11 | Bartlomiej Matysiak (Poland) | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
12 | Dan Craven (Namibia) | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Jeremy Hunt (Great Britain) | Row 12 - Cell 2 |
14 | Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | Jure Kocjan (Slovenia) | 0:00:07 |
16 | Roger Hammond (Great Britain) | 0:00:10 |
17 | Ian Stannard (Great Britain) | 0:00:15 |
18 | Russell Downing (Great Britain) | 0:00:25 |
19 | David Clarke (Great Britain) | 0:00:42 |
20 | Marcin Bialoblocki (Poland) | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
21 | Marcel Kalz (Germany) | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
22 | Tom Thill (Luxembourg) | Row 21 - Cell 2 |
23 | Sergey Pomoshnikov (Russian Federation) | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
24 | Gorazd Stangelj (Slovenia) | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
25 | Evgeniy Bakhin (Russian Federation) | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
26 | Jason White (Great Britain) | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
27 | Samuel Bennett (Ireland) | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
28 | Yoann Offredo (France) | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | Tom Last (Great Britain) | Row 28 - Cell 2 |
30 | David Mccann (Ireland) | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
31 | Yukiya Arashiro (Japan) | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
32 | Pit Schlechter (Luxembourg) | Row 31 - Cell 2 |
33 | Robert Kiserlovski (Croatia) | Row 32 - Cell 2 |
34 | Tony Gallopin (France) | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
35 | Kurt Asle Arvesen (Norway) | Row 34 - Cell 2 |
36 | Daniel Fleeman (Great Britain) | Row 35 - Cell 2 |
37 | Vladimir Miholjevic (Croatia) | Row 36 - Cell 2 |
38 | Deni Banicek (Croatia) | Row 37 - Cell 2 |
39 | Diego Ulissi (Italy) | Row 38 - Cell 2 |
40 | Simon Richardson (Great Britain) | Row 39 - Cell 2 |
41 | Liam Holohan (Great Britain) | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
42 | Jonathan Hivert (France) | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
43 | Evan Oliphant (Great Britain) | Row 42 - Cell 2 |
44 | Patrick Bercz (Germany) | Row 43 - Cell 2 |
45 | James Moss (Great Britain) | Row 44 - Cell 2 |
46 | Blel Kadri (France) | Row 45 - Cell 2 |
47 | Rafael Rodriguez Segarra (Spain) | Row 46 - Cell 2 |
48 | Joseph Perrett (Great Britain) | Row 47 - Cell 2 |
49 | Jonathan Mcevoy (Great Britain) | Row 48 - Cell 2 |
50 | Gael Le Bellec (France) | Row 49 - Cell 2 |
51 | Maciej Paterski (Poland) | Row 50 - Cell 2 |
52 | Christian Meier (Canada) | Row 51 - Cell 2 |
53 | Russell Hampton (Great Britain) | Row 52 - Cell 2 |
54 | Kristjan Koren (Slovenia) | Row 53 - Cell 2 |
55 | Richard Handley (Great Britain) | Row 54 - Cell 2 |
56 | Julian Dean (New Zealand) | Row 55 - Cell 2 |
57 | Edward Clancy (Great Britain) | Row 56 - Cell 2 |
58 | Oscar Gatto (Italy) | Row 57 - Cell 2 |
59 | Maciej Bodnar (Poland) | Row 58 - Cell 2 |
60 | Clinton Avery (New Zealand) | Row 59 - Cell 2 |
61 | Stephen Cummings (Great Britain) | Row 60 - Cell 2 |
62 | Lars Petter Nordhaug (Norway) | Row 61 - Cell 2 |
63 | Eros Capecchi (Italy) | Row 62 - Cell 2 |
64 | Bob Jungels (Luxembourg) | Row 63 - Cell 2 |
65 | Luca Paolini (Italy) | Row 64 - Cell 2 |
66 | Michael Cuming (Great Britain) | Row 65 - Cell 2 |
67 | Ty Magner (United States Of America) | Row 66 - Cell 2 |
68 | Ian Boswell (United States Of America) | Row 67 - Cell 2 |
69 | Tom David (New Zealand) | Row 68 - Cell 2 |
70 | Leigh Howard (Australia) | 0:00:50 |
71 | Heinrich Haussler (Australia) | Row 70 - Cell 2 |
72 | Daniel Lloyd (Great Britain) | Row 71 - Cell 2 |
73 | Tom Boonen (Belgium) | 0:01:33 |
74 | Kevin De Weert (Belgium) | Row 73 - Cell 2 |
75 | Jan Bakelants (Belgium) | Row 74 - Cell 2 |
76 | Jurgen Van De Walle (Belgium) | Row 75 - Cell 2 |
77 | Alexandre Blain (France) | Row 76 - Cell 2 |
78 | Michael Matthews (Australia) | 0:01:43 |
79 | Peter Kennaugh (Great Britain) | Row 78 - Cell 2 |
80 | Alex Dowsett (Great Britain) | Row 79 - Cell 2 |
81 | Tom Murray (Great Britain) | 0:02:02 |
82 | Kristian House (Great Britain) | Row 81 - Cell 2 |
83 | Andrew Fenn (Great Britain) | 0:02:36 |
84 | David Veilleux (Canada) | 0:03:10 |
85 | Dominique Rollin (Canada) | Row 84 - Cell 2 |
86 | Yukihiro Doi (Japan) | Row 85 - Cell 2 |
87 | Tyler Farrar (United States Of America) | 0:03:23 |
88 | Gavin Mannion (United States Of America) | 0:05:24 |
89 | Luka Grubic (Croatia) | 0:06:05 |
90 | Stuart Wight (Canada) | Row 89 - Cell 2 |
91 | James Sampson (Great Britain) | Row 90 - Cell 2 |
92 | Marcel Six (Great Britain) | Row 91 - Cell 2 |
93 | Tom Kohn (Luxembourg) | Row 92 - Cell 2 |
94 | Roman Koltsov (Russian Federation) | Row 93 - Cell 2 |
95 | Ian Knight (Great Britain) | Row 94 - Cell 2 |
96 | Adil Jelloul (Morocco) | Row 95 - Cell 2 |
97 | Peter Hawkins (Ireland) | Row 96 - Cell 2 |
98 | Andrew Griffiths (Great Britain) | Row 97 - Cell 2 |
99 | Gregorlry Panizo (Brazil) | Row 98 - Cell 2 |
100 | Viktor Sudeikin (Russian Federation) | Row 99 - Cell 2 |
101 | Jason Christie (New Zealand) | Row 100 - Cell 2 |
102 | Fabian Schnaidt (Germany) | Row 101 - Cell 2 |
103 | Mouhssine Lahsaini (Morocco) | Row 102 - Cell 2 |
104 | Niko Eeckhout (Belgium) | Row 103 - Cell 2 |
105 | Stijn Joseph (Belgium) | Row 104 - Cell 2 |
106 | Jose-Eriberto Medeiros (Brazil) | Row 105 - Cell 2 |
107 | Matthew Jones (Great Britain) | Row 106 - Cell 2 |
108 | Jake Hales (Great Britain) | Row 107 - Cell 2 |
109 | Gideoni Monteiro (Brazil) | Row 108 - Cell 2 |
110 | Marcel Meisen (Germany) | Row 109 - Cell 2 |
111 | Ian Wilkinson (Great Britain) | Row 110 - Cell 2 |
112 | Richard Hepworth (Great Britain) | Row 111 - Cell 2 |
113 | Gediminas Bagdonas (Lithuania) | Row 112 - Cell 2 |
114 | Simon Gaywood (Great Britain) | Row 113 - Cell 2 |
115 | Peter Williams (Great Britain) | Row 114 - Cell 2 |
116 | Richard Cartland (Great Britain) | Row 115 - Cell 2 |
117 | Tanner Putt (United States Of America) | Row 116 - Cell 2 |
118 | Christopher Froome (Great Britain) | Row 117 - Cell 2 |
119 | Philip Lavery (Ireland) | Row 118 - Cell 2 |
120 | Takashi Miyazawa (Japan) | 0:07:21 |
121 | Shinichi Fukushima (Japan) | 0:10:46 |
122 | Jamie Riggs (Canada) | Row 121 - Cell 2 |
123 | Ross Creber (Great Britain) | Row 122 - Cell 2 |
124 | Tom Schanen (Luxembourg) | Row 123 - Cell 2 |
125 | Graham Briggs (Great Britain) | Row 124 - Cell 2 |
126 | Cleberson Weber (Brazil) | 0:12:12 |
127 | Christopher Mcnamara (Great Britain) | 0:14:30 |
128 | Martyn Irvine (Ireland) | 0:16:14 |
129 | Felix English (Ireland) | Row 128 - Cell 2 |
130 | Theo Rheinhardt (Germany) | Row 129 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Dale Appleby (Great Britain) | Row 130 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Stephen Gallagher (Ireland) | Row 131 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Yusuke Hatanaka (Japan) | Row 132 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Abdeiati Saadoune (Morocco) | Row 133 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Alexey Velikanov (Russian Federation) | Row 134 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Steven Lampier (Great Britain) | Row 135 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Tarik Chaoufi (Morocco) | Row 136 - Cell 2 |
DNF | Mohamed Said El Ammoury (Morocco) | Row 137 - Cell 2 |
DNS | Ole Martin Olmheim (Norway) | Row 138 - Cell 2 |
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
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