Omega Pharma - Quick-Step Cycling Team rider Mark Cavendish earned the 45th win (43rd road) in three disciplines for the team in 2013 on Sunday, winning the bunch sprint of 165km Tour of Denmark Stage 6.
The race came back together with 14km to go. A five rider breakaway was down to just one inside 20km remaining, but the peloton — led by OPQS — was simply too determined for a bunch sprint to let one rider make it to the finish.
Cavendish beat Bryan Coquard (Team Europcar) and Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp) for the win. The Manx Missile has won 16 races this season.
"I'm happy about this victory," Cavendish said. "When I came here I didn't know how my form would be after the Tour de France. I was still a bit tired, and this race — despite being mostly flat in Denmark — is hard. But the team rode really well. The team was always around me and supporting me. I really wanted to win today in Frederiksberg, because it is the third time I've won in three races here. This is almost like the Danish Champs-Élysées, so of course I am happy to close out the race with this kind of win."
"Now I am going home to spend some time with my family — I will normally be back for Tour of Britain," Cavendish continued. "I raced more than 90 days in 2013, but I am really happy with great support from the team. This has been one of my most successful seasons. It helps going to races with a team like this, because it's like staying with friends. It's always about commitment and I have it from these guys. When you have this kind of commitment as a sprinter you always have a chance to win."