Hatrick for Cavendish in Turkey

Mark Cavendish wins his third stage in row in the Tour of Turkey, the first time since 2013 he’s achieved such a result and continues to lead overall

Hatrick for Cavendish in Turkey

The seaside resort of Kemer, lying on the beautiful Mediterranean coast of Turkey, witnessed a memorable milestone for Mark Cavendish of Deceuninck – Quick-Step, as he won his third stage in row in the Tour of Turkey 2021, the first time since 2013 he’s achieved such a feat.

Photo: ©Stuart Franklin/ Getty Images

Cav’s team controlled the stage with Iljo Keisse putting in a superb effort behind the break which he made sure of overhauling with more than 20 kilometers to go. Things remained calm until inside ten kilometers remaining, when Deceuninck – Quick-Step made its way to the front, Fabio Jakobsen slotting the lead-out train into position before Stijn Steels stretched out the peloton with an enormous pull.

Shane Archbold and Alvaro Hodeg did a spectacular job ahead of the final kilometres, bringing the Manxman to the head of the bunch just as things were heating up, and Mark Cavendish delivered another huge sprint in a hectic finale marred by a crash, bursting clear of his rivals with 150 metres to go and sweeping past Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) on the way to his tenth victory at the race.

“It’s nice, and to be sincere, it’s irrelevant how many wins are in a row, it’s just nice to win again. It’s great that the team believes in me and I’m grateful to them for that. At the beginning of the year all I wanted to do is win a race, and now I have done it three times. I’m proud to have racked up Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s 800th victory, but to me the most important thing is that I’m part of this family, which is an honour.”

“He’s (Jasper Philipsen) probably the biggest rival. A week ago he already won the Scheldeprijs, the world championship for sprinters. We knew he was the man to beat, especially with his strong Alpecin-Fenix squad. I had to take advantage of that. In the run-up to the sprint we went right on. I wanted to keep his wheel, but that little Italian from B&B Hotels was there too. ”

That rider, Luca Mozzato is very good at positioning but Mark says “but he is not very strong. So I knew if he was there, he would lose anyway. He was sitting in front of me, but that was okay, because he wouldn’t be able to come if Philipsen jumped. So I waited and had to anticipate the jump as soon as possible, so that I could close the gap to Philipsen quickly. It was a long sprint with the wind in the face and the road also going up a little, so it was hard work. ”

“The most special thing about today wasn’t my win, but seeing how far into the stage Fabio got. It was beautiful to see him there, doing a phenomenal job for the squad and enjoying racing. Having him up there motivated me to finish it off. I’m proud to have such amazing teammates, and at the end of the day, that is what really makes everything special”, added Tour of Turkey overall leader Mark Cavendish.

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