LIEGE, Belgium: Mark Cavendish might be the world’s fastest rider, but that is not a guarantee he’ll win the Tour de France’s green jersey for the second consecutive year.
The “Manxman Missile” is focused on the Olympics road race this summer, leaving the battle for the title of the best sprinter wide open.
Cavendish won’t have the lead-out train that normally sets him up for the stages finale as his Sky teammates will be working hard to fulfill Bradley Wiggins’s ambition of becoming the first British rider to win the Tour.
Unlike Cavendish, his former team mate Matt Goss will enjoy the support of a team built around him, while veteran Alessandro Petacchi and cycling’s prodigy Peter Sagan are also among contenders.
The Tour starts on Saturday in Liege, Belgium, and ends July 22 on the Champs d’Elysees in Paris.
Battle for Tour de France green jersey wide open
