Mark Cavendish exclusive: Giro d’Italia stage win impossible without help from ‘legend’ Geraint Thomas

Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) insists he wouldn’t have claimed a fairytale win on the 2023 Giro d’Italia with out assist from “legend” Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers).

Cavendish was launched into the dash showdown by buddy and former team-mate Thomas, who drove the tempo on the entrance throughout a frantic finale in Rome simply 24 hours after his personal dream of profitable the general race unravelled.

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“It was particular. Rome is particular. Anybody who has ever been to Rome, it blows you away. So the Giro ending in Rome, in entrance of the Colosseum, the romanticism… It’s good,” Cavendish informed Eurosport’s Orla Chennaoui.

“And you then had what G [Thomas] did. I get fairly emotional.

“It wouldn’t have occurred with out G. It simply wouldn’t have occurred. We wouldn’t have been capable of do what we needed to do with out G there.”

Thomas’ resolution to entrance an unlikely dash prepare was made extra outstanding given he had simply misplaced the chief’s maglia rosa to Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) on the penultimate stage.

With the roads to Rome fully flat, leaving no alternative to achieve time again on Roglic, the 2018 Tour de France champion elected to channel his disappointment by fronting Cavendish’s push for victory.

“I would stated to him: ‘do you fancy doing a lead out?’ And he’s like ‘nah man’,” Cavendish continued, laughing.

“It wasn’t till he handed me… After which he went. I believed perhaps he’d do a pull, like a present pull, do a number of hundred metres.

“And you then see his ankles go in and he retains going. He goes onto the nostril of his saddle a bit extra, he retains going – he simply stored going.

“It was spectacular. That wasn’t a present, that was an enormous previous job. Yeah, he is a legend, is not he?”

Thomas and Cavendish have been team-mates at Staff Sky in 2012, whereas they have been as soon as regulars collectively in British colors.

Certainly one of their most interesting moments collectively got here on the 2011 Street World Championships the place Cavendish claimed a outstanding dash win after being aided by the selfless work of Thomas, Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and others.

“After all you at all times need your mates to succeed. However there’s a bunch of us that simply come by all the things – guys like Dave Millar, Brad Wiggins, Steve Cummings, me and G. There’s one thing extra deep rooted than the actual fact all of us experience bikes,” added Cavendish.

“And we additionally know what it feels prefer to cease being believed in… like G. And it is like, he gained the Tour de France!

“It’s like while you maintain somebody at a degree, they now not can succeed, they will solely fail. And clearly we’ve that in widespread a bit bit.”

Cavendish is tied with Belgian icon Eddy Merckx on 34 stage wins on the Tour and begins his quest for the outright document on July 1.

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