After the 26th Tour de France stage win from Mark Cavendish, Etixx-QuickStep sports director and trainer Tom Steels provided Cyclingnews with expert insight. The former Belgian top sprinter won nine Tour de France stages and is most famous for his bidon-throwing at the 1997 Tour.
After the win from Cavendish in the stage from Livarot to Fougères, Steels analysed Cavendish’s performance. He explained how the pressure was mounting on the shoulders of Cavendish and how the team prepared for the sprint.
“He is who he is. He’s one of the top sprinters. He can falter completely but if he’s good, like today, then he’s still the fastest,” Steels said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Steels said he believes Cavendish was physically capable of dominating the sprint for a few more years although his mental status would be crucial.
“It was a classy win,” Steels said. “If I saw how he accelerates today in comparison with a top sprinter like Greipel, of whom we have to admit that he’s in top form. We haven’t seen Greipel in peak form at the Tour before. Mark can go on like this for a couple of years, but it’s a mental game too.
“Sprinting is about remaining fresh mentally,” Steels said. “Physically he can keep up for several years. It’s mostly about the pressure. Second place is never enough. If he can cope with that he’s capable of sprinting for a few more years.”
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest News http://ift.tt/1IQvwrL
No comments:
Post a Comment