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Cavendish Gets 1st Tour Win

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The Associated Press

Published: July 10, 2008

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. 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 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," said the 23-year-old. "For sure it is the biggest thing that has happened to me."

Cavendish completed the flat, 144-mile ride from Cholet to Chateauroux in 5 hours, 27 minutes, 52 seconds, edging veterans 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 Britain by 12 seconds.

Spanish rider Alejandro Valverde, one of the favorites, 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.

Last year's best climber, Juan Mauricio Soler of Colombia, pulled out of the race because of an injury he received in the first stage.

Australian Cadel Evans - second last year - is the highest-placed rider among the prerace favorites. He is in fourth, 41 seconds ahead of Denis Menchov of Russia, 1:04 up on Valverde and 1:22 up on Carlos Sastre of Spain.

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