Mark Cavendish ‘happy’ with sixth placed finish on Stage 3 of the Tour de France as he chases record stage win

Mark Cavendish praised the way his Astana Qazaqstan team performed as he took a sixth placed finish on Stage 3 of the Tour de France.

Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) took victory during a dramatic sprint finish and despite missing out, Cavendish was in good spirits as the stage came to an end.

“Yeah I’m happy with that. Ok, obviously, we’d like to win, but I’m happy with how the boys rode, I’m happy with the speed. You see the team are up there with more dialled teams, the teams that do it day-in, day-out.”

Speaking about how his team-mates approached the day, Cavendish said: “We had a plan to get me at the front there, with 2km to go, into that u-turn, that’s what the boys committed too, that’s what they did perfect. So actually it was job complete there, it was just down to me trying to find the right wheels after that.”

Cavendish had already conceded that the stage finale perhaps did not fit his profile.

“I was OK. I’m happy with the speed, 500m to go, I wasn’t even in the top-10, maybe 15th position. I’m happy with that. We said at the beginning that that’s not the best kind of finish for me, it was more for someone like Jonathan Milan or Wout van Aert”, he said.

Cavendish’s former team-mate Mark Renshaw has been brought in by Astana to assist the team as a sprint consultant and it is something the British rider is relishing.

“[Mark] helped a lot. Not just in the final bit, but in the last 20 kilometres, the climbs, little kicks, knowing just how long they were, how to stay up there. Where to move up before the roundabouts, it helped an awful lot,” Cavendish said.

Cavendish’s next attempt to make history comes in Stage 4, with riders travelling between Dax and Nogaro – where they finish on a motor racing circuit.

“We’ll try tomorrow. It’s a different one, I’ve never finished on a motor racing circuit at the Tour. It’s happened in other races, but it might be a bit different at the Tour. It’s new for everyone. I’m quite looking forward to it, it’ll be another flat day. I think the peloton will look forward to a flatter day tomorrow. Hopefully the wind is alright too”, Cavendish said.

“I’m confident in my form, I’m confident in the team, we look forward to the next sprint opportunities.”

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