Mark Cavendish has triumphed in 30 stages of the Tour de France, won road racing’s world title and captured dozens of other important races to become one of Britain’s most successful cyclists.
The one thing missing was an Olympic medal.
The sprinter from the Isle of Man on Monday night finally accomplished that feat, taking silver in the men’s omnium behind Italian rider Elia Viviani at the Rio de Janeiro Games.
“I’m happy with it. I couldn’t have done more,” Cavendish said. “I made every day count. On another day I might be closer to gold, but I have to be happy.”
Especially the way things have gone in previous trips to the Olympics.
Cavendish and teammate Bradley Wiggins were the reigning Madison world champions heading to the Beijing Games in 2008. However, in the event, no longer part of the Olympic program, the duo could do no better than ninth, leaving Cavendish the only British track cyclist without a medal.
Four years ago, he headed to the London Games backed by a powerhouse road team to tackle a course that suited him perfectly — he even won a test event on it. However, on race day, the British squad missed the key breakaway and Cavendish wound up 29th, reduced to being a footnote in the race report.
So in that context, silver was not such a bad result.
“It’s always disappointing not to win, but I did all I could, and the guys behind me did all they could,” Cavendish said. “So yeah, I’m happy.”
His performance was impressive by any measure: Not only did Cavendish nearly overcome Viviani in the last event of the six-event omnium, he also held off reigning Olympic champion Lasse Norman Hansen of Denmark, who had to settle for the bronze medal.
However, perhaps making it more impressive was the fact that Cavendish squeezed in training for the omnium while continuing his successful road career.
When other riders would take a break from the grind of professional cycling, he would hop on a jet to compete in a track cycling World Cup event, then hop right back on an airplane to rejoin his Dimension Data at the next big race.
Cavendish’s performance never faltered on the road, either.
In fact, the sprinting specialist earned the yellow jersey in the Tour de France after winning the opening stage, then won three more stages to stamp his mark on the sport’s biggest race.
“I think gold would have been a fairytale, but I don’t think you can be unhappy with his ride,” British Cycling coach Iain Dyer said. “It’s not easy gig by any stretch of the imagination, but I think he’s done himself proud here and I hope in the hours and days he will appreciate it.”
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