Navigation

Home
News
- Latest
- Blog
- Product news
- Comment
- Giro d'Italia
- Olympics
- Tour de France
- Time Trial
- Twitter
Reviews
Marketplace
Routes
Forum
Events
Galleries
Cycling Weekly TV
Subscribe

TOUR DE FRANCE 2008: CAVENDISH MAKES IT THREE ON STAGE 12

Thursday, 17 July 2008
Stephen Farrand
0 Comments

Mark Cavendish stage 12 Tour de France 2008

Stage 12 photo gallery by Graham Watson>>

Three fingers in the air as he crossed the line said it all. Mark Cavendish (Columbia) has won again, becoming the first British rider to ever win three stages in the same Tour de France.

Cavendish was yet again far too fast for all the other sprinters in the peloton. His Columbia lead out train ran out of gas a kilometre before the finish but lead out man Gerald Ciolek looked after Cavendish and then the he made sure he was on the back of the Quick Step lead out train that lead the peloton up the long finishing straight.

Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole) was ready to go on the left of Steegmans but Cavendish caught them all by surprise by starting the sprint 200 metres from the finish. He went down the middle of the road, legs powering away, tucked low over the handlebars and nobody could match his finishing speed.

Sebastien Chavanel (Francaise des Jeux) was second and Steegmans was third but both were well beaten and Cavendish had the time to make sure everybody knew he had won three stages.

“This was my hardest win, for sure,” Cavendish said.

“It was really windy all day and really fast at the end. There was some argy bargy but I still won. I’m glad I could do it for my team mates because everybody could see how hard they worked again. It’s just so nice to get another one.”

Cavendish also talked about Riccardo Ricco being caught for EPO.

"I think it's a good thing [that Ricco was caught]. I believe that changes are happening. Obviously it's a cloud over what's been a pretty decent Tour de France but every time someone gets caught it's somebody else who's not getting away with it," he said.

Cadel Evans (Silence) finished in the bunch and so kept his one-second lead over Frank Schleck (CSC).

Friday’s 182km 13th stage is from Narbonne to Nimes and is again a flat run across the south of France. If the breakaways are kept under control there is no reason why Cavendish cannot win a fourth stage.

Cavendish moves up to equal fifth with Barry Hoban and Michael Wright in CW's all-time list of British pro winners. Each has 21 professional wins to their name.

TOUR DE FRANCE 2008: STAGE 12 RESULTS
1. Mark Cavendish (GB) Columbia 168.5km in 3h 40m 52secs
2. Sebastien Chavanel (Fra) FDJeux
3. Gert Steegmans (Bel) Quick Step
4. Erik Zabel (Ger) Milram
5. Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank
6. Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Liquigas
7. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole
8. Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis
9. Julian Dean (NZ) Garmin-Chipotle
10. Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Gerolsteiner all same time.
British
49. David Millar (GB) Garmin-Chipotle
81. Chris Froome (GB) Barloworld at same time.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 12
1. Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence-Lotto
2. Frank Schleck (Lux) CSC-Saxo Bank at 1sec
3. Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin-Chipotle at 38secs
4. Bernhard Kohl (Aut) Gerolsteiner at 46secs
5. Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank at 57secs
6. Carlos Sastre (Spa) CSC-Saxo Bank at 1m 28secs
7. Kim Kirchen (Lux) Columbia at 1m 56secs
8. Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) Ag2r at 2m 32secs
9. Mikel Astarloza (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi at 3m 51secs
10. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas at 4m 18secs
British
47. David Millar (GB) Garmin-Chipotle at 35m 22secs
95. Chris Froome (GB) Barloworld at 1h 16m 21secs
147. Mark Cavendish (GB) Columbia at 1h 52m 4secs

KING OF THE MOUNTAINS
1. Sebastian Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner

YOUNG RIDER CLASSIFICATION
1. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas

POINTS COMPETITION
1. Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank
...
5. Mark Cavendish (GB) Columbia

Tour de France 2008
Historic win number three for Mark Cavendish

Photos by Graham Watson