Cavendish showed that his winning days aren't completely behind him as he beat out 2021 Scheldeprijs winner Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) and fellow sprint veteran Andre Greipel (Israel Start-Up Nation) to take out Stage 2 of the Tour of Turkey.
Cavendish arrived in the final straight on fifth wheel, just behind Greipel but in the sprint he was able to come round the big German and then pass Philipsen right on the line to take the win.
“It’s incredible, it’s really nice to be a winner again. I’ll never get tired of that feeling,” Cavendish said after the finish. “I knew after yesterday that I had the speed needed to win and I also knew that if I would be on Greipel’s wheel, I would have a shot coming into the last couple of hundred metres. Philipsen jumped early and had a small gap, but I had enough to make up ground and I must say I was quite surprised at how quickly I came in the final metres of the stage."
Cavendish had gone through two seasons of not being selected for the Tour de France, first by Dimension Data and then by Bahrain-Mclaren, a sign that many within the sport did not expect him to win the big races. However, in Turkey the Manxman wound back the clock, knocking off a good quality field.
“Some people didn’t think I could get back to winning, but [Patrick Lefevere – Deceuninck – Quick-Step boss] did and for that I am grateful," said Cavendish. "Just to get back to winning after what I’ve been through in the last couple of years is truly incredible.
The 35-year-old celebrated with his teammates, including Fabio Jakobsen, in the Danish rider's first race back since his horror crash into the barriers last year at the Tour of Poland.
"To win again was emotional and to hug all my team-mates after the finish was amazing," said Cavendish. "What made me super proud was that Fabio was involved in this, working at the front in the finale together with the other guys, especially after what he has been through.”
With the win, Cavendish assumes the race lead and has a good chance of holding the leader's jersey for a few days still until the summit finish on Stage 5. That day will be one for Australian Jay Vine (Alpecin-Fenix) who was the top finishing Aussie on Stage 2, coming in 20th position.
