Mark Cavendish had to settle for 22nd in the chaotic opening stage at the UAE Tour on Monday, but he could view the outing as a passing frustration rather than an urgent cause for alarm. Every sprinter wants to win at every available opportunity, of course, but since joining Astana Qazaqs tan a year ago, Cavendish has the consolation of knowing that he won’t be short of chances to shine this season.
After years of fighting to carve out space for himself at Quickstep, Bahrain and even in the latter part of his time at Dimension Data, Cavendish is enjoying the relative luxury of a clearly defined racing schedule and a guaranteed slot at the Tour de France.
For coach Vasilis Anastopoulos, who rejoined Cavendish’s entourage ahead of the new season, therein lies the great difference between life at Astana and at Quickstep.
“He’s more relaxed, he doesn’t have to fight for his position anymore,” Anastopoulos told Cycling news after Cavendish’s stint at the Tour Colombia earlier this month. “He’s already known his programmed for this year since September, the programmed he has to follow all the way until the Tour de France.
“We’ve already planned all the training camps, all the altitude camps. Everything is planned, and he’s confident in the work we’re doing. He doesn’t have to fight for his position, whereas in Quickstep he always had to prove himself and he wasn’t sure that he was going to do some races. Now, it’s more Tranquillo and it’s also better for me to plan and do my job.”
That planning began shortly after Cavendish walked back his initial intention to retirement last summer, with Anastopoulos sketching out the idea of bringing the Manxman and a small group including Michael Mørkøv and Cees Bol to Colombia for a January training camp.
The idea had taken root even before the Tour Colombia’s return to the calendar was confirmed. When the event was formally announced in midwinter, Anastopoulos figured they might as well extend their stay in the Andes and compete. In that light, Cavendish’s victory in Zipaquirá on stage 4 was something of an add-on to the basic altitude training package.
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