Sean Kelly: These younger sprinters don’t give a f**k about Mark Cavendish
Irish cycling legend gives his opinion on the veteran sprinter eyeing a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win
Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) starts his quest to win a record-setting 35 Tour de France stage this weekend but four-time green jersey winner and cycling legend Sean Kelly believes that the Manxman will be up against it due to the fact that he’s not competed and won against the best sprinters this year.
Speaking to us on the eve of the Tour de France, the former Irish pro said that Cavendish could never be ruled out in this year’s sprints but that the level of the opposition and the nature of the terrain over the first two stages in Italy could dent the veteran sprinter’s chances.
“Well I think there is a chance but it’s going to be difficult for him. He’s not been in the big races and he’s not been in the sprints against the big guys so he’s not had much opportunity to test himself against those guys. Though, looking at the Tour, you don’t have all the super fast guys. There’s Jasper Philipsen of course, and then De Lie, but we don’t have Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan, who were so strong in the Giro d’Italia,” Kelly said.
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