Mark Cavendish says that he only has himself to blame for missing out on the rainbow jersey at the World Championships. Cavendish took silver behind defending champion Peter Sagan but felt that he had the pace to take gold.
Cavendish had been in Sagan's wheel coming into the final stretch. In the end, he found himself boxed in when the Slovakian wound up his sprint. He was forced to negotiate his way around Michael Matthews before he was able to attack the line. He told the press after the race that it was an error in judgement rather than his speed that lost him the opportunity for the victory.
"I wanted to be on Sagan's wheel, and ultimately I was and then all of a sudden the road was blocked," Cavendish said after picking up his silver medal.
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"We talked about [Blythe] going at that point, but with the wind it didn't quite go. It just created a bit more of a barrier in front. He did what he was asked. I made the call, and at the end of the day, it was the wrong call to make.
"I tried to find a way through, but I had to stop then go around Matthews, but by then it was too late. I got back on Tom Boonen, but it was too late to get on Sagan. I'm a little bit disappointed. I feel like I lost gold rather than I won silver. That's how it is, you know."
Cavendish and Blythe were the only two members of the British squad to make it into the 26-rider group that arrived at the Pearl. The crucial split happened when the race turned back towards Doha, as the Belgians and the British drove hard in the crosswinds. Cavendish, Blythe and Luke Rowe held on as the gap grew but Rowe's day was done when a puncture dropped him back to the second group.
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