In a near perfect show of team work, HTC-Highroad yesterday (Sunday, September 26) delivered Mark Cavendish to the finish line in Denmark that would make him World Road Race Champion. In a spectacular demonstration that took no prisoners and looked to have a single purpose – to speed Cav to that line – from the outset, HTC dominated across a largely flat 266km course that perfectly suited the Manx rider. Taking the Gold Medal and World Champion title – the first Brit to do so since Tom Simpson in 1965 – topped out an incredible year for Cavendish who, despite a small number of set backs, managed 20 Tour de France stage wins and the coveted green jersey.
Given not only this success but the all-round performance this season of HTC-Highroad their imminent demise, due nominally to lack of headline sponsor, seems all the more mysterious. The next few weeks is likely to finally put to rest the rumours as to where Cavendish will spend his next season – a season in which he will not only be defending a Tour green jersey and World Championship, but also chasing Olympic Gold.
