Spanish Green Jersey for Cav, Now Bring on the Worlds and Commonwealths!

Britain’s Mark Cavendish won the coveted green jersey yesterday at the end of the Tour of Spain to notch up yet another major achievement in cycling but it will not make up for what the 25-year-old sees as, incredibly, a “failure” in the Tour de France in July.

Despite winning a further five stages during the world’s greatest cycle race, making it a staggering 15 stages in the past three Tours, the Isle of Man cyclist is furious with himself for missing out on the green jersey for the second, successive year.

Moreover Cavendish, never frightened to speak his mind, insists he has only himself to blame after a win at all costs approach which he likens to Formula One star Lewis Hamilton.

The McLaren driver lost his place at the top of the Formula One world championship table after crashing out in the first lap at Monza last weekend, and later admitted he should have been more sensible and ensured good points with a high placing, rather than go for broke.

Cavendish admits his guilt to the same offence in the Tour. “I’m still kicking myself because I should have won the green jersey this year and blew it,” he revealed from Spain.

“Last year I feel the green jersey was taken away from me (after he was docked points for dangerous sprinting and lost out to Norwegian Thor Hushovd) but this year it’s all down to me.

“Although I won five stages when I knew I wasn’t going to win a sprint I sat back and lost out on too many points in the race for the green jersey. It was as though if I couldn’t win I wasn’t interested, which wasn’t very smart.

“What I now understand is that you can’t win every sprint, but you can try and get as many points as possible which means, sometimes, you may have to settle for third or fourth, but at least it still gets you points.


“It’s what Lewis Hamilton was saying last week, too, when he crashed trying a manoeuvre he didn’t really need to do. He knows that to be world champion means trying to get as many points as you can in each race, even if on occasions you have to settle for a lower placing.

“Next summer that’s what I’ll be doing. Obviously I’ll try and add to my 15 stage wins, but when I’m not winning I’ll have to make sure I still get some points.”

Since France Cavendish has moved on to the Tour of Spain where, in winning three stages, he became the first British cyclist since Robert Millar in 1984 to win stages in the “big three” of global cycling Tours of France, Italy (the Giro d’Italia) and Spain (Vuelta a Espana). If he concludes his work with the green jersey tonight, as he surely will, then this will be his first major tour jersey win as well.

Next up are the world cycling championships in Melbourne a fortnight today. Cavendish is at ease with his billing as one of the favourites to win and become the first British world champion since Tommy Simpson in 1965.

“I had two major goals this year: to win the green jersey in the Tour de France and to become world champion. The first didn’t happen, although I guess five more stage wins, then three in the Tour of Spain and the green jersey go some way to compensate for this. But the second goal is definitely on.

“It won’t be easy. We’re talking about a course some 270 kms long. But if I’m still in the lead pack with two laps to go then I’d definitely back myself to win.”


Even then the season does not finish because, while his British track teammates are all absent from the Commonwealth Games a week later due to their competing in the Olympic-qualifying European Championships instead, Cavendish will be in Delhi looking to add a road race gold to his scratch race title clinched at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealths. Once again, he will be competing for the Isle of Man.

“We have a pretty small team with a few shooters and three cyclists but winning gold four years ago was a very big deal for the Isle of Man and I’d love to be able to do it again for the island.

“It’s disappointing the other British cyclists won’t be in Delhi but it’s pretty much on my way home from the worlds in Australia and I think the Commonwealth Games is a great event. I’d love to end the season with a Commonwealth gold, but first comes the world championships and a chance to make up my mistakes that cost me the green jersey at the Tour de France.”