Manxman’s heroics in
Turkey come just months after he had hinted at retirement and give his new team a pleasant dilemma
Hat-tricks are rare in professional cycling. Before Mark Cavendish sprinted into the finish in the
Turkish resort of Kemer on Wednesday afternoon to win for the third day in a row, it was 18 months since any professional cyclist had done anything similar. To pull off such a thing at the age of 35, after being within an ace of a tearful retirement a few months earlier, gave this a special twist.
The feat concluded a painful three-year comeback that now looks as remarkable in its way as any in cycling, coming as it does after the stellar success of Cavendish’s bumper years when he plucked stage wins and points prizes in Grand Tours by the hatload, and added a world road title to boot. There will now be speculation the Manxman should head for the Tour de
France to tilt one last time at Eddy Merckx’s all-time stage victory record – he is four short of the Cannibal’s 34 – but at present a ride in the season-ending Tour of
Spain looks more likely.