CHATEAUROUX, France — His dream was within reach and Mark Cavendish didn’t let it get away.
The British sprinter had been frustrated Monday when his chance to win a stage of this year’s Tour de France was thwarted by a breakaway. On Wednesday, he got revenge by recording his first victory in cycling’s premier race.
The Team Columbia rider took the fifth stage in a sprint after a three-rider breakaway that led almost the entire way in the Tour’s longest leg was caught within sight of the finish line.
Stefan Schumacher of Germany retained the leader’s yellow jersey on a day that allowed the sprinters to show their mettle but had no impact on the standings. Contenders for the overall victory all finished safely in the pack.
Cavendish, 23, had hoped to win the third stage Monday, but the breakaway held out to the end, denying the sprinters a chance for a victory.
“Obviously after the other day we were really disappointed, so it made us motivated for today,” Cavendish said. “For sure, it is the biggest thing that has happened to me.”
French national champion Nicolas Vogondy, who had been in Wednesday’s breakaway, tried to hold off the pack at the end but didn’t have the strength.
“I wore (the French champion’s jersey) nicely until 100 meters from the end, but I missed out on the most important 100 meters,” Vogondy said. “I still had some reserves, but it’s difficult to resist when the sprinters set off.”
Cavendish completed the flat, 144.2-mile ride from Cholet to Chateauroux in 5 hours, 27 minutes, 52 seconds, edging Oscar Freire of Spain and Erik Zabel of Germany.
All but five of the 177 finishers were given the same time, meaning there were no changes to the overall standings, where Schumacher leads Kim Kirchen of Luxembourg and David Millar of Boulder-based Garmin-Chipotle by 12 seconds.
Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde, one of the favorites for the overall title, had a scare when he hit debris about 50 miles into the stage and went over his handlebars. He injured his right arm, right knee and calf, but got back on his bike and kept riding.
The injuries are not expected to threaten Valverde’s continued participation, the Caisse d’Epargne team said.
At a glance
A brief look at Wednesday’s fifth stage:
Stage: A 144.2-mile race from Cholet to Chateauroux, the longest and flattest stage of the Tour.
Garmin-Chipotle watch: New Zealand’s Julian Dean, a.k.a. the Kiwi Rocket, finished 10th with the help of his Boulder-based teammates. The team still leads in overall standings by 1 minute, 44 seconds.
Quote of the day: “In Great Britain they sometimes don’t want to appreciate that they have somebody so good, but I have seen myself as not just beating good people but being one of the best for the last year or so.” — Mark Cavendish, who won Wednesday’s stage
Next stage: Today’s sixth stage takes the riders into the mountains for the first time, 121.5 miles through the Massif Central from Aigurande to Super-Besse.
Denver Post staff & wire reports
