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After missing out on his chance for victory in Milan-San Remo, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Mark Cavendish fell ill and missed an entire month of competition. However, the lack of race days didn't stop the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Omega Pharma-Quickstep sprinter from winning the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:opening stage of the 💜Presidentia💝l Tour of Turkey and donning the turquoise leader's jersey.

"I was a bit surprised by my speed," Cavendish said, describing the sprint after the 141km stage in Alanya. "I had to go a little bit early. There was a slight headwind. I think I went at 250 meters because I was about six wheels back. When I initially kick🐠ed, I was surprised how nice I felt. So, I just kept it going and when I was ahead, I didn't know by how much, I thought someone might be c🍌losing from behind, but I won."

Cavendish was ruled out of Gent-Wevelgem in March with a 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:fever caused by a viral infection that was a result of the cold and wet edition of Milan-San Remo. He failed to improve sufficiently to race the Three Days of De Panne, and then was forced to alter his plan to race the 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Giro d'Italia and opt for Tour of California instead. The Tour of Turkey was to be his re-entry into the peloton, but he wasn't sitting on just in hopes of finishing in his first out🎶ing of the UCI 2.HC race.

"I was in good condition before I got sick so it's not like I was in bad condition after my illness, it just went down a little bit. It's the first race after five weeks so you never🐓 really know. I didn't think I'd be dropped or struggling or anything, but I didn't know if I had it in me to win. But I was training my sprint at home and it was there today. My team did a brilliant job to keep me up there and keep me out of trouble. I'm glad I could win it for them."

Cavendis🤪h has some of his main lead-out men at his side in Turkey in a team solely dedicated to the flat finishes: Alessandro Petacchi, Mark Renshaw, Gert Steegmans, Iljo Keisse, Kevin De Weert and Gianni Meersman, but also 21-year-old Czech rider Petr Vakoc.

The lead-out may not have been textbook, but Cavendish found himself in a good positionꦕ to kick for the win. "We have young guys in this team who went flat out and gave it a 100 per cent, and perhaps did too much a little too early but it's part of the learning process. But I was in the top 6 in the finale, which is a goo▨d position to be in this kind of sprint."