Just a couple of days after being taken ill on his flight out to Qatar, Marc Cavendish was back on blistering form today taking his first win for his new team, Sky. Making his debut outing in the World Champion’s jersey, Cavendish and team-mates Bernhard Eisel and Juan Antonio Flecha worked their way into a lead group of just over 30 riders when the peloton was split into three by crosswinds with 30 kilometres remaining in the 146.5km stage from Dukhan to Al Gharafa Stadium, but by the uphill finish it had turned into a head to head between the World Champion and race leader Tom Boonen of Omega Pharma-Quick Step. Cav produced his trademark burst of acceleration to land the spoils by just over a bike length from Boonen, with Aidis Kruopis taking third. The victory puts Cavendish third in the overall standings, eight seconds behind Boonen.
Speaking afterwards Cavendish said: ‘I’m very happy with that. I’m still not 100-per-cent but we wanted to ride well as a team and if it came down to a sprint then it came down to a sprint. It split up which we weren’t really expecting but the wind picked up and I was looked after by the lads who got me to the front group…It’s incredible to win (with the rainbow jersey). I said I wanted to make the jersey proud. You never really get the season going until you get that first win under your belt. So now it’s there I can hopefully get on a roll now.’
