Sam Bennett’s knee injury opened door for Cavendish to raceManx sprinter has won 30 stages since his race debut in 2007Mark Cavendish’s relationship with the Tour de France, 30 stage wins and all, has been a “long, long love story and also a hate story,” his team manager Patrick Lefevere said on Wednesday. The latest chapter will begin on Saturday, when the Manx sprinter begins his 14th Tour after a last-minute call-up to the Deceuninck-Quickstep team. He is a replacement for last year’s top Tour sprinter and points jersey winner Sam Bennett, who has a knee injury, and he said on Wednesday the call had left him in shock.
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