Dusseldorf: Briton Mark Cavendish said Friday he will need some luck if he is to edge closer to Eddy Merckx’s all-time stage wins record when the Tour de France begins here.
The 32-year-old Team Dimension Data rider has bounced back from having a ‘zero per cent’ chance of making the start line because of a bout of glandular fever to targeting at least one stage win over the next three weeks. He needs four to draw level with the 34 of Merckx.
“I’m not in ideal condition but the good thing about being a sprinter is that you can win on luck,” Cavendish told reporters at a news conference here. “You get the right wheel, you get the right run and there is a chance you can win. So it was worth coming with that chance. This year I would be happy to win one stage, but it wouldn’t be a failure if I don’t,” he added.
Isle of Man-born Cavendish, known as the ‘Manx Missile’, enjoyed a superb 2016, winning four stages on the Tour de France and finally securing an Olympic medal when he finished runner-up behind Italy’s Elia Viviani in the omnium track event. His prospects of increasing his Tour tally looked bleak, however, when he struggled to recover from illness.
“A few weeks ago there was a zero percent chance of making it and I had to race to see if I could put myself forward,” Cavendish informed.“But I started to feel better every day and I’m happy the team selected me.”
Agencies