Mark Cavendish 'satisfied with his form' after Tour of Oman stage two win
- Planet Sport writer
- 11 February 2022
After coming second on Thursday, Cavendish built on his performance to win stage two of the Tour of Oman on Friday.
The 36-year-old claimed his first win of the season after launching a late sprint to win in Oman.
Thursday's event saw him narrowly miss out to Fernando Gaviria, but he went one further on Friday to win ahead of Australia's Kaden Groves.
On the windy 167.5km stage down the coast from Naseem Park to Suhar Corniche, Cavendish launched his move with around 250 metres to go, coming round the field in the final 100 metres to claim his 157th career win.
Mark Cavendish wins stage two of the Tour of Oman. #TourofOman pic.twitter.com/qrlNrsJ8mr
— Sophie Smith (@SophieSmith86) February 11, 2022
Following the win, Cavendish thanked his team, and stated he was "happy with the way things panned out".
"I was looking forward to this sprint, as it was similar to a Tour de France one, with a long finishing straight of over one kilometre," said Cavendish.
"Everyone on the team was committed and did a great job, and coming into the stage I had a lot of confidence from yesterday's good work.
"When the sprint started, I was a bit far back, but I had a good speed and I am happy with the way things panned out."
🎥 LAST KILOMETRE - Stage 2 #TourofOman 🇴🇲@MarkCavendish shows all his mastery to surf wheels and power to the front at the perfect moment. What a sprint from the 🇮🇲 Rocket 🤯 @qst_alphavinyl @mcsy_om @OmanOca pic.twitter.com/gqOLpwXyI2
— Tour of Oman (@tourofoman) February 11, 2022
With Gaviria missing out on a podium spot, Cavendish's win takes him to the top of the standings ahead of Saturday's uphill finish in Qurayyat.
It's the latest success in Cavendish's return to cycling, with the Brit still recovering from injuries he suffered in a crash during the Ghent Six-Day in November.
To add to his distress, Cavendish then had his home broken into in early December.
But now back on his bike and hitting form, the Manxman will hope to match his achievements from 2021, where he claimed 10 wins, including four stages of the Tour de France.
However, instead of celebrating his recent win, Cavendish is pleased with his form but is eager to add more positive results this season.
"It's been only a few weeks since I returned on my bike following that crash on the track, so I am quite satisfied with my form.
"To take a win so early in the season, it's always important and we hope to get some more nice results before the Tour of Oman ends."
