Manxman to the Rescue?

Faster than a doped up sprinter [a few come to mind]. Able to leap small Cols in a single bound [nothing more than a Category 3, please]. It’s a team car, it’s a photo moto. No, it’s Manxman!

It’s ridiculous to think that Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia) or any other rider left in the peloton could save this year’s Tour, which has seen its darker underbelly rise to the forefront once again. But then again, the 23-year old sprinter from the Isle of Man isn’t being asked to save it.

He is at the Tour to do his job, and he is doing it better than most in the field. Cavendish won his third stage of the Tour de France by taking the Stage 12 field sprint in Narbonne.

With the win, he has already set his eyes on the future telling Cyclingnews, "I want to return to fight for the green jersey in the coming years. Now, I am really tired."

His last comment most likely signals his departure from this Tour; a Tour that is in dire need of some positive news other than a doping result.

More:
Cyclingnews - Manx Missile grabs number three
BBC - Cavendish dismisses Beijing fears
Cycling Weekly - Cavendish Celebrates His Third Win At Tour de France
LA Times - Tour de France/Olympics double

If he departs before the Alps, you don’t have to wait long to see Cavendish riding again as he is set to compete on the pines in Beijing with Great Britain teammate Bradley Wiggins in the Madison.

Results
1 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia
2 Sébastien Chavanel (Fra) Française des Jeux
3 Gert Steegmans (Bel) Quick Step

The absence of Saunier Duval - Scott allowed several riders to move up in the overall classification and in the classification for the other leaders' jerseys.

General Classification After Stage 12
1 Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence - Lotto
2 Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC - Saxo Bank 0.01
3 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Team Garmin-Chipotle p/b H30 0.38
4 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) Gerolsteiner 0.46
5 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 0.57
6 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Team CSC - Saxo Bank 1.28
7 Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia 1.56
8 Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) AG2R La Mondiale 2.32
9 Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 3.51
10 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas 4.18

Next: Stage 13 - Friday, July 18: Narbonne – Nîmes (182km). Can Cav make it two in a row and four overall? If so, does he stick around to contest for the maillot vert on the Champs Ellysees?


Photo: AP Photo/Laurent Rebours