The emotional shout of “Go Mark!’ in several languages from contained in the Astana-Qazaqstan staff was the primary signal that historical past was about to be made on the Tour de France on Wednesday afternoon.
I used to be stood exterior the staff bus with a couple of different media, watching the ultimate kilometres on our cell phones. However we have been a couple of seconds behind the reside French tv photos on the bus and will think about what was taking place.
Then the shouts of encouragement grew to become even louder and much more emotional. Then they exploded in celebration when Mark Cavendish received the dash in Saint-Vulbas.
The Manxman had received his thirty fifth stage on the Tour de France, to go one higher than Eddy Merckx. It was a second of biking historical past, one that usually appeared prefer it would possibly by no means occur however one which Cavendish and everybody at Astana-Qazaqstan all the time believed in.
Everybody within the staff bus roared in celebration and banged the roof and home windows. The bus’ horn rang out like church bells, telling everybody that that they had received. ‘Venture 35’ had been completed.
Workforce supervisor Alexander Vinokourov was the primary to return off the bus. He might hardly maintain again his feelings. He rapidly grabbed a motorcycle to experience to the end space. He interrupted Cavendish’s tv interview to hug him and have a good time collectively.
Vinokourov and Cavendish have grow to be surprisingly shut within the final 18 months after the Kazakhstani supervisor invested and believed within the Manxman, when most different groups had written him off.
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On the day Cyclingnews revealed that Chinese language carbon fibre producer XDS Carbon-Tech would make investments considerably within the staff with the purpose of making a ‘tremendous staff’, Cavendish and Astana-Qazaqstan delivered. The celebs aligned in a second of success and little doubt helped create the way forward for the staff.
As Cavendish celebrated together with his teammates after which his household on the end line, different riders rode by and provided congratulations.
“To proceed to do what he does at his age – he is 39, and everybody says you get slower as you become older – he is confirmed that fallacious, actually. It is unbelievable what he does, and I am tremendous completely happy for him,” Geraint Thomas stated.
The Astana-Qazaqstan race vehicles arrived subsequent, blowing their horns and shouting in celebration.
Vasilis Anastopoulos returned as Cavendish’s coach this season having beforehand labored with him at QuickStep when he was so profitable in 2021. Cavendish has spent extra time with him at races and at his Greek residence for particular coaching than he has spent at residence together with his household. No one is aware of what Cavendish has overcome, even in latest months, like Anastopoulos.
He was understandably in tears.
“You noticed at this time why he’s an enormous champion,” Anastopoulos stated.
“He’s 39 years outdated. Many of the guys thought he wasn’t going to make it. He proved them fallacious one time in 2021, after which he proved all people fallacious once more in 2024. He’s a phenomenon. I can let you know it was not a simple one, however we by no means stopped believing that this might come true.”
‘Venture 35’ is accomplished however Anastopoulos, like Cavendish, remains to be hungry for extra success and extra feelings like at this time.
“We’re not going to cease,” Anastopoulos stated.
“Tomorrow is one other likelihood. We need to win as a lot as attainable. That’s why we can not cease. Our purpose is to succeed in Good and have a good time there. We would like two or three extra wins earlier than he can cease.”
“He is only a tremendous wine. He simply will get higher and higher”
Mark Renshaw hugged Anastopoulos and the opposite workers members after leaping out of the staff. Stefano Zainini was a profitable sprinter throughout his personal profession however was overcome with emotion. He was the primary directeur sportif to work with Cavendish at Astana-Qazaqstan and all the time believed he might get again to his greatest and win a Tour de France stage.
“He is only a tremendous wine. He simply will get higher and higher,” Renshaw stated of Cavendish.
“The staff had a lot confidence in him, and so they’ve had confidence all yr. Vino backed this undertaking, and we signed nice riders.
“We have modified the staff to take care of him, to get him attainable to win and he has simply been mega dedicated. I do not know what number of days he is been together with his household, however this yr it is not many. That is the sort of dedication you want as a motorcycle rider.”
As Cavendish accomplished the stage winner’s podium ceremony and did a sequence of interviews, different staff autos and buses drove previous on their approach to their inns. Many stopped to high-five and congratulate the Astana-Qazaqstan workers. Everybody working behind the scenes in skilled biking groups is aware of how particular main victories, particularly historic victories, are. There was respect and shared happiness.
The crowds step by step diminished because the Astana-Qazaqstan bus waited for Cavendish to reach. A few of his teammates headed to their resort by automotive, and a lot of the media headed again to the Tour de France press centre.
I and some different journalists determined to attend to see Cavendish return. It felt the fitting factor to do. I’ve adopted a lot of Cavendish’s profession, from his Tour de France debut in 2007 in London, his Milan-San Remo victory in 2009 and plenty of others since then. It appeared like a second to seize, to savour and to share.
An hour or so after the stage, everybody seemed down the highway in the direction of the end space, ready for Cavendish to reach.
We noticed his spouse Peta and their kids strolling in the direction of the bus, after which Cavendish joined them, beaming with happiness and satisfaction.
“I am so completely happy. I am so completely happy for him, I am completely happy for Vasilis (Anastopoulos), I am completely happy for Vino, I am completely happy for the entire folks on this final couple of years that have gotten on board and dedicated the identical manner that he has,” Peta informed Cyclingnews and the Biking Podcast.
“On Monday, when everybody was saying: ‘Why has he come again? He is too outdated, he ought to have stopped final yr, have some dignity, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I used to be identical to: ‘Say a bit louder!’ As a result of Mark is usually a ache within the arse, however if you happen to say that he cannot, then he most likely will.”
Peta and Mark have overcome many obstacles collectively, particularly lately. She understands his love for biking and why he needed to race on in 2024 to attempt to win a thirty fifth stage on the Tour de France.
“He loves the Tour de France and I by no means wished him to go away the Tour behind an ambulance like final yr,” Peta defined, the emotion filling her voice.
When Cavendish lastly reached the staff bus, he hugged Anastopoulos intensely. Anastopoulos quietly stated to him, ‘We did it, we did it…’
Cavendish additionally hugged Renshaw, as soon as his loyal leadout man, now his loyal directeur sportif. Quickly on the bus they posed for a selfie. Cavendish held up 5 fingers, Renshaw three, signifying 35 victories.
Venture 35 has been completed.