'Phenomenal' Mark Cavendish claims memorable sprint victory at Tour of Turkey Stage 2

ByDan Quarrell

Updated 12/04/2021 at 14:50 GMT

Mark Cavendish of Deceuninck-QuickStep grabbed his first victory in over three years as he sprinted to victory in style on Stage 2 of the Tour of Turkey. The legendary British rider pipped Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Fenix) and Andre Greipel (Israel Start-Up Nation) in a dramatic bunch sprint in Konya to take the spoils in emotional fashion.

Britain's Mark Cavendish clinched his first win since 2018 as he stormed to victory on Stage 2 of the Tour of Turkey.

Cavendish timed his final burst to perfection as he hung on Andre Greipel’s wheel before powering past the German and second-placed Jasper Philipsen to grab a thrilling triumph.

The day belonged to the 35-year-old veteran as he claimed his first victory in over three years in classic fashion.

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"It's his first win since 2018 - what about that," exclaimed Eurosport's Carlton Kirby on commentary. "He looks so pleased, and the world of cycling should be pleased as well.

"It's been a long way back and he has got there. The story today is all about Cavendish, who is back in winning ways. Phenomenal."

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Brian Smith added on commentary: "The pocket rocket is back!"

The 144.9k ride around Konya was always likely to deliver a big finish, and it duly delivered as Cavendish beat out Philipsen and Greipel in a throwback classic.

As a result of his breathless win, the Brit now holds the general classification lead in the race after two stages as he usurped Arvid De Kleijn and Philipsen.

'Perfect sprint' - Analysis of Cavendish's stunning victory

Cavendish, who had been pondering retirement last season after a year with Bahrain-McLaren, is back with Deceuninck-Quick Step six years after leaving the Belgian outfit.

"It's incredible! Really, really nice," Cavendish said in his post-race interview.

It's super nice. I never get tired of that feeling. I'm really happy with that.

"Thank you to the whole team at Deceuninck-QuickStep. I'm just really thankful for my team for that."

'It's incredible' - Cavendish overwhelmed with victory

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