Cavendish – first win for 2015

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The Isle of Man’s Mark Cavendish (Etixx – Quick-Step) wins first race of 2015 on stage 7 of the tour of San Luis, Dan McLay 10th

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Cavendish – first win for 2015

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Etixx – Quick-Step added a road win to their 2015 win tally on Sunday. Mark Cavendish won Tour de San Luis Stage 7 in a bunch sprint that was well organized by the team. First, Michal Golas made the original breakawayand then as the breakaway was caught, Etixx – Quick-Step made sure they were in good position in the final 10km for the leadout for the Manx Missile.

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Pic: Etixx – Quick-Step/Tim De Waele

Fabio Sabatini was the last man for Cavendish, and he led him out perfectly on the right side. Cavendish launched his sprint at the perfect distance from the finish to get the win over Fernando Gaviria (Colombia) — winner of two stages at Tour de San Luis — and Jakob Mareczko (Italy).

“The team was really motivated today after several close calls,” Cavendish said. “I was 2nd in two sprints, and Michal Kwiatkowski was 2nd in the time trial. So we wanted to close Tour de San Luis with a win because we rode really well together as a team all week. We wanted to get something from it and we did. We worked hard at this race I’m thrilled to leave Argentina with a victory.

Etixx – Quick-Step has two overall victories for the year before the end of January. “We rode a tactically smart race,” Cavendish went on to say. “When the break went, Michal Golas went with it. But eventually the teams who didn’t have riders in the break chased it down”.

“We didn’t have to pull earlier because he was in the break, so we were all fresh for the final. With 4 kilometers to go, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck took it up. Other teams came close, but then Lukasz Wisniowski took over the leadout. He took it into the last corner. Lampre-Merida took over from there, but then Michal Kwiatkowski went fast with just under a kilometer to go. Fabio Sabatini was the last guy and he led me out starting at 600 meters to go. At 300 meters to go I went. We knew we could go long, as we did recon of the finish prior to the race”.

“It’s slightly downhill. So with the long distance acceleration of a guy like Gaviria and that kind of a finish, it’s important to anticipate his sprint and do the job before he does. We did that, and I’m super and happy and proud we could come away with a win here. It’s important, not just for myself, but for the whole team, to get a good feeling started here”.

“This is important race experience that we will use to build for our season. You can’t replicate this kind of preparation at any kind of a training camp. You need to have other riders around you to really work on your leadout. Tour de San Luis in January is a perfect way to do that. A win is the best way to show you are building for the rest of your season.”

Dan McLay was 10th in the bunch kick.

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