Mark Cavendish tired of Tour de France 'chicken pox'
Etixx-Quick-Step sprinter Mark Cavendish bemoans the number of climbs between now and the final Tour de France stage in Paris
Sprinters hate mountains and Mark Cavendish is no exception.
The Manxman took to Twitter before Thursday's stage 18 bemoaning the number of red dots on the route profile, which indicate categorised climbs.
With seven climbs on the 186.5km route from Gap to Saint-Jean-De-Maurienne, Cavendish noted that the route map had chicken pox and said he was sick of the mountain stages already.
Luckily there are only two more mountainous stages left before Cavendish returns to his second home of the Champs-Elysees, although his chances of another final stage win took a dent as Mark Renshaw dropped out of the race.
Cavendish's trusty leadout man abandoned the race around the halfway mark of stage 18, leaving the 26-time stage winner with just five teammates after Michal Kwiatkowski quit on Wednesday.
The Etixx-Quick-Step fast man will rely on Zdenek Stybar, Michal Golas, Matteo Trentin, Rigoberto Uran and Julien Vermote to lead him to the finish line if he is to win his fifth final-stage win.
Take a look at Mark Cavendish's Tour de France bike
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Stuart Clarke is a News Associates trained journalist who has worked for the likes of the British Olympic Associate, British Rowing and the England and Wales Cricket Board, and of course Cycling Weekly. His work at Cycling Weekly has focused upon professional racing, following the World Tour races and its characters.
-
Knog Blinder 1300 review - excellent visibility for you and other road users
Solid performance, great mounting options and a respectable price point make the Blinder a great competitor for long nights this winter
By Joe Baker Published
-
Everything you want to know about the Q Factor
What it is and why it matters, how to measure it, what the Q stands for, and more
By Tyler Boucher Published
-
'Finally, you broke the world record' - Inside reaction to Mark Cavendish's historic Tour de France revealed
Astana Qazaqstan have released Project 35, a documentary which shows the journey to triumph
By Adam Becket Published
-
'I haven’t entirely committed to what I’m doing' - Mark Cavendish refuses to rule out racing more, but will run a marathon next year
The Tour de France stage win record holder says that his plan is to head into cycling management
By Adam Becket Published
-
Mark Cavendish to conclude professional cycling career in Singapore
Tour de France stage win record holder to bring curtain down on racing career at ASO end of season criteriums in Asia
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Mark Cavendish set to end his career at Tour de France Singapore Criterium
Event will be Cavendish's final appearance for Astana Qazaqstan after he won a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage in July
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I've lived everyone’s dream': Mark Cavendish hints at snap retirement after last ever Tour de France stage
The Manx Missile is the 2024 Tour's lanterne rouge
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
'I'm so tired': Emotional Mark Cavendish thanks teammates after surviving Tour de France time cut
The Briton is just two days away from finishing the Tour de France for an eighth time
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Mark Cavendish makes time limit on stage 19 - and four other tales of riders who survived the Tour de France cut-off
Brit finishes with more than five minutes to spare on Isola 2000
By Tom Davidson Published
-
End of an era: Witnessing Mark Cavendish's last ever Tour de France sprint
The Astana Qazaqstan rider finished 17th in Nîmes in what is almost definitely his last ever sprint at the Tour. Cycling Weekly was there to see it
By Adam Becket Published