Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Mark Cavendish won the final Giro d'Italia stage on Sunday, getting around a well formed leadout by Cannondale for the victory at the 206km 21st Stage. Cavendish, having won both intermediate sprints to take the points classification lead, also secured the red jersey.
OPQS was in command of the peloton in the final 10km, not letting any teams get in front of them on a tight circuit with narrow roads. They kept the pace so high that there were small splits in the peloton at times. OPQS and Astana, who was protecting maglia rosa wearer Vincenzo Nibali, had controlled the race and prevented any breakaways for the entire stage.
In the final 3km, teams such as Orica-GreenEDGE, Cannondale, Radioshack-Leopard and Lampre-Merida tried to force their way to the front. Cavendish had as many as five OPQS riders protecting him inside the final kilometers, and two sheltered him on the front all the way into the flamme rouge.
With 1km to go, Cannondale finally moved to the front. However, Cavendish had one leadout man remaining, and was dropped off at just the right time as Sacha Modolo (Bardiani Valvole CSF-Inox) launched his sprint early. Cavendish was able to catch and pass Modolo. He held his speed to the finish for the 31st victory (29th road) for OPQS, in three disciplines, in 2013. This was also the fifth win for Cavendish at the 2013 Giro d'Italia.
Elia Viviani (Cannondale) was 3rd.
"I'm so, so happy," Cavendish said. "It couldn't have been any closer on the last day. Everyone knew I was going for the intermediate sprints. I'm lucky, the peloton is full of gentlemen that were content to let me fight for the punch (red jersey). Nibali could have fought for it, but he was content to go for the maglia rosa. I'm also lucky the team rode hard all day. Then there were the two intermediate sprints and because they changed the distance, adding about 10 kilometers, we didn't know what lap we were sprinting for. So I was sprinting for about three laps."
"But then we took control again on the windy, windy circuit," Cavendish continued. "The guys like Jerome Pineau, Julien Vermote, Gianluca Brambilla, Serge Pauwels and Michal Golas had to use up energy on the front. Other teams came up quick on us in the last kilometers, but we didn't panic. In the final Matteo waited behind Viviani. He went just at the right time into a headwind finish. Then Modolo went and it was a bit too early, so I just started out at about 80 or 90 percent and kept building up speed. I'm really happy with this win. Especially with this group here, riding together in a grand tour for the first time. We had success immediately and we kept up such great morale. It shows in the results. Everyone just went until their legs couldn't go any more. All you can do when that happens is to just win."
Cavendish said he is lucky to be given opportunities riding for a team such as OPQS. Cavendish has now won points jerseys in all three grand tours (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a Espana). He is only the fifth rider — and the first who is British — in the history of cycling to accomplish such a feat. Cavendish has won 102 races in his career.
"What keeps me always motivated is I just want to win," Cavendish said. "I've always just wanted to win, I've been addicted to it since I was a child. Just wanting to win brings the best out of everyone. Especially when you have a team built around you, you have to deliver 100 percent. That's what I try to do. If someone comes along who is faster, I'll go home, work harder, and come back faster the next year. It's as simple as this."