Cavendish show backdrop to huge battle for Tour de France yellow

Such is nan power of nan Olympics, nan Tour de France is taking a literal detour, finishing successful a clip proceedings connected Nice’s expansive promenade alternatively of nan accepted sprint connected Paris’ Champs-Elysees.

So possibly it’s a relief, then, that Mark Cavendish will beryllium location for nan commencement successful Florence connected Saturday - nan Briton being almost arsenic ubiquitous arsenic nan Champs’ oily cobbles.

It’s difficult to proclaim that this will beryllium nan final, final appearance of nan 39-year-old, aft being tempted retired of retirement, fixed really galore comebacks location person now been.

Last twelvemonth he missed retired connected nan Tour shape triumph grounds by centimetres successful Bordeaux, only to clang retired nan pursuing day.

But Cavendish’s past indifference astir nan imaginable of achieving 35 shape wins, to Belgian fable Eddy Merckx’s 34, doesn’t deter others from desperately wanting his sparkling profession to extremity successful a fairytale.

“I'm truthful happy I carried on," Cavendish said connected Friday. "If thing I'm much fresh than past year. Florence is beautiful - I lived present for 10 years, training connected these roads.

"Starting here, and going connected into France is cleanable connected an affectional level."

Cavendish has astir "five aliases six" chances to do it connected this 21-stage, three-week Tour which takes successful 3,498km, pinch 52,000m of climbing – Cavendish’s slightest favourite pastime connected a bike.

Competition will beryllium very reliable - pinch wins astatine this year’s Tours of Colombia and Hungary, he has immoderate grade of form. But to return nan 1 triumph he needs will beryllium perchance his biggest situation of all, fixed really prolific nan existent world’s champion Jasper Philipsen is.

The Belgian won 4 stages of past year’s race, and if thing is simply a amended rider successful 2024.

"We person thing to lose," added Cavendish. "It's not for illustration roulette - if I don't win, I don't suffer nan 34 stages I have."

Win aliases bust, surely this is nan last time, right? "We'll see," said Astana squad leader Alexandre Vinokourov, erstwhile Cavendish remained silent aft nan mobility was posed. "If he wins, why not."

In nan wide classification, you would deliberation an wounded to nan world’s champion rider mightiness time off it a small lightweight – but if thing it could tee-up 1 of nan top battles successful nan race’s agelong history betwixt nan champion 4 riders successful nan sport: Jonas Vingegaard, Tadej Pogacar, Primoz Roglic and Remco Evenepoel.

Dane Vingegaard won past twelvemonth by much than 7 minutes complete his only existent rival for victory, Pogacar of Slovenia.

But a harrowing crash while competing successful April successful bluish Spain had put Vingegaard’s information successful superior doubt.

The 27-year-old is successful Florence, Italy, for nan Grand Depart, but has not raced since his accident.

After colliding pinch rocks astatine precocious speed, Vingegaard’s injuries from nan clang astatine nan Itzulia Basque state were important – fractured ribs, a surgery collarbone and a collapsed and bruised lung.

Injuries which required room and ones which could temporarily effect connected a rider’s respiratory capabilities – moreover if personification pinch Vingegaard’s huge VO2 max, external would beryllium expected to make a afloat recovery.

“It was astir apt nan hardest infinitesimal successful my career,” said Vingegaard connected Thursday, playing down his chances. “I americium looking for nan champion imaginable consequence successful nan GC, but it was a very bad crash, truthful conscionable to beryllium present is simply a triumph successful itself – everything from present is simply a bonus.”

Vingegaard wasn’t unsocial connected nan roadside successful nan Spain – Roglic, now of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe and Belgium’s prodigious Evenepoel, of Soudal-Quick Step, were besides injured.

“It caused maine to return immoderate steps back,” said erstwhile footballer Evenepoel, pinch half an oculus connected Belgium playing Ukraine during his property conference. “But I’ve tried my champion successful training to improve.”

The perceived contented was that an occasionally accident-prone Roglic and occasional steep climb-averse Evenepoel would usually beryllium considered 2nd favourites to nan ‘big two’, but for Vingegaard’s injuries and Pogacar’s industry.

This twelvemonth UAE-Team Emirates’ Pogacar, 25, wants to declare a 3rd crown and make history by winning nan Tour and Giro d’Italia successful nan aforesaid year.

Part 1 of that ngo is already complete, winning nan Italian Grand Tour by a staggering 10 minutes.

Problem is, he has started a Tour before, having thrilled everyone pinch his explosive riding earlier successful nan season, only to tally retired of steam erstwhile it really mattered successful France. Last year, successful fact, proclaiming “I’m gone; I’m dead”, connected shape 17 successful nan Alps.

Plus, Pogacar this week said he was recovering from a caller Covid positive, which could beryllium good but of which immoderate lasting effects is still thing of a aesculapian mystery.

Still, Evenepoel seems judge who is strongest: “Tadej is unreachable. He didn’t person to spell heavy [to triumph nan Giro]. It did not tyre him out.”

But that’s not to opportunity Vingegaard has been written off. There is an anticipation successful nan athletics that retribution is owed from UAE aft past year, erstwhile Visma-Lease a Bike (then known arsenic Jumbo-Visma) deliberately rode very aggressively early connected to tyre retired Pogacar pursuing his ain early-season injury.

Now, nan footwear is connected nan different foot: and galore expect UAE to thrust ‘full gas’ from nan first shape to break Vingegaard.

Evenepoel says his squad will not travel suit: “Let them do what they want. I don’t deliberation Jonas will ace successful nan first days.”

The circumstances astir really this breathtaking imaginable four-way duel has travel astir is ironic astatine a clip erstwhile cycling is nether scrutiny for really galore risks riders are expected to return to win connected nan road.

But it nevertheless leaves a crown-jewel sporting arena very difficult to call.

For Ineos Grenadiers – Britain’s once-dominant Tour-winning instrumentality – to person possibly nan fifth, sixth and seventh champion contenders for nan yellowish jersey is humbling.

The 2018 victor Geraint Thomas will apt title his past Tour this year, expecting to “go for a shape if nan chance arises”.

He is successful good shape for 38 years old, but was 1 of those who vanished 10 minutes down Pogacar successful May’s Giro.

The early for Ineos, astatine nan moment, lies pinch Carlos Rodriguez of Spain – a 23-year-old who won a Tour shape convincingly past year, but does not yet look fresh to support a three-week challenge.

The 2019 victor Egan Bernal shares leader duties pinch Rodriguez, but is yet to return to nan shape which suggested he was destined for aggregate Grand Tour victories earlier important injuries from a crash successful 2022.

So it is connected nan time successful which Ineos radiance brightest astatine nan infinitesimal – Tom Pidcock could emulate his superb 2022 descending masterclass connected his measurement to winning connected Alpe d’Huez earlier he attempts to triumph 2 Olympic golds connected nan roadworthy and mountains. And he would “sacrifice nan GC to title aggressively for a shape [win]”.

There are a grounds 11 British riders competing successful this year’s Tour – a patient bequest of days erstwhile Ineos’ Sky train dominated each earlier it nether their erstwhile guise.

Adam and Simon Yates could besides prima pinch single-stage wins – nan twins are astatine nan Tour pinch different teams and different roles.

Britain’s Fred Wright of Bahrain-Victorious will title immoderate of nan fast-but-hilly stages alongside compatriots Stevie Williams and Jake Stewart of Israel Premier Tech – who could not find a spot for four-time champion Chris Froome erstwhile again.

So really do you enactment cool during nan sport’s astir aggravated 3 weeks? “Guys get coiled up by nan Tour soap opera, and what group opportunity [about them],” says an ever-more calm and life-affirmed Thomas. “I say: ‘Don’t look astatine societal media – publication a book'. But they ne'er listen.”