Mark Cavendish speaks ...
“Carnage it was,” says the Astana rider. “Every team will have had a plan for that final and I bet there wasn’t any that it went right for, apart from Jumbo getting their guys into that narrow road [at the entrance to the race circuit] early. It was a melting pot of riders in the final and I was constantly analysing who was there, who had other teammates and just jumping from train to train.
“Finally I seen that Mads [Pedersen] had [Jasper] Stuyven with him and they usually go early so I thought I’d use that, but it didn’t happen. In the end the rest of them got the jump on me and it was all about me getting the best finishing position for myself.”
It’s a remarkable bit of analysis, considering the chaos that was unfolding around him. He goes on to express his concern for the welfare of his teammate Luis Leon Sanchez, who was one of several riders to hit the deck in the final couple of kilometres of today’s race.
Updated
Top five on General Classification
Adam Yates (UAE Emirates) 18hr 18min 01sec
Tadej Pogacar (UAE EMirates) +06sec
Simon Yates (Jayco AlUla) +06sec
Victor Lafay (Cofidis) +12sec
Wout van Aert +16sec
