Cavendish realises green jersey dream at the Tour de France

Mark Cavendish becomes the first Briton to win the Tour de France green jersey

Mark Cavendish on podium, Tour de France 2011, stage 16

Mark Cavendish realised a dream today on the Champ Elysees in Paris. He secured the green jersey on his back by winning the Tour de France's final stage.

"Wearing the green jersey here in Paris," said Cavendish, "is something special for my palmarès."

Team HTC-Highroad's Cavendish sprinted ahead of Sky's Edvald Boasson Hagen after 95 kilometres and nine laps around Paris. The points earned added to his haul over three weeks, including four other wins, and kept him above Spaniard José Joaquín Rojas (Movistar).

The Manx cyclist is the first British rider to win the green jersey. It was first introduced in 1953, when Swiss Fritz Schär won it.

Besides Robert Millar's ride into the polka-dot mountains jersey in 1984, Cavendish is the only British rider to have won one of the Tour's classification jerseys.

"I am super happy. It didn't come easy this year," added Cavendish. "The guys were tired, but those 8 guys gave their all."

Cavendish finished second in the last two years.

The race jury made a questionable ruling in 2009 and disqualified him from receiving points in the sprint to Besançon. The jersey battle swung in Thor Hushovd's favour. He helped secure the jersey with an attack on the mountain stage to Le Grand-Bornand. Despite six stage wins, Cavendish lost the sprinters' jersey.

Last year, he won five stages, but fell 10 points shy of the green jersey. Italian Alessandro Petacchi gained points by consistently placing highly in the sprints and took the jersey in Paris.

Cavendish won five stages again this year - Cap Fréhel, Châteauroux, Lavaur, Montpellier and Paris - and went for the intermediate sprints. Today, he placed first behind a six-man escape with Ben Swift and gained nine points.

The Tour de France changed the point scale for stage wins and intermediate sprints this year. Only one a day, intermediate sprints offered greater and deeper points. 20 points for the win and the following points for second through 15th: 17, 15, 13, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1.

Flat and medium-mountain stages offered more points, but not as deep. A flat stage, like today's in Paris, offered 45, 35, 30, 26, 22, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4 and 2.

Tour de France 2011: Related links

Tour de France 2011: Cycling Weekly's coverage index

Tour de France 2011: Latest news

Tour analysis: Schleck goes long

2011 Tour de France stage 10: Armstrong's famous bluff

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Boasson Hagen's second stage win put Norway joint top

Are the Tour de France's descents too risky?

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Cavendish's green jersey chances looking 'good'

Evans gains time as the weather leaves its mark

Schlecks falter ahead of Tour's final mountain days

Tour analysis: How the Schlecks can win

Swift sprinting towards Tour winCavendish joint seventh in all-time Tour list

Weather wreaks havoc in Etape du Tour

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Geraint Thomas: "I had goosebumps on the Tourmalet"

Schlecks distance Contador in Tour mountain stage

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Tour de France Feed Zone (July 13)

Greipel's first Tour stage win 'extra special'

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UCI defends its stance on tilted saddles

Kolobnev tests positive at Tour

Contador worried by knee injury

Tour rest day review (July 11)

Voeckler living the yellow jersey dream again

Hoogerland's Horror crash

 

Tour de France 2011: Teams, riders, start list

Tour de France 2011: Official start list

Tour de France 2011: Who's riding?

Tour de France 2011: Team guide

Tour de France 2011: Stage reports

Stage 20: Evans blows Schlecks away and takes yellow to Paris

Stage 19: King Rolland crowned on the Alpe but team-mate Voeckler loses yellow to Andy Schleck

Stage 18: Andy Schleck wins, Contador cracks and Voeckler keeps yellow by seat of his pants

Stage 17: Boasson Hagen makes it two for Sky as Voeckler loses more time

Stage 16: Evans and Contador go on the attack as Hushovd wins in Gap

Stage 15: Cavendish takes fourth stage win in 2011 Tour

Stage 14: Vanendert surprises the favourites as Voeckler holds on

Stage 13: World champ Hushovd takes well deserved solo Tour win

Stage 12: Sanchez wins at Luz Ardiden as Frank Schleck gains on other contenders

Stage 11: Cavendish moves into green after winning in Lavaur

Stage 10: Greipel beats Cavendish in Tour stage 10 sprint

Stage nine: Sanchez conquers day of crashes and climbs

Stage eight: Costa wins first mountain stage of 2011 Tour

Stage seven: Cavendish wins but Wiggins crashes out of Tour

Stage six: Boasson Hagen takes Sky's first Tour de France win

Stage five: Cavendish wins in Cap Frehel

Stage four: Evans edges out Contador on the Mur-de-Bretagne

Stage three: Farrar sprints to first Tour victory in Redon

Stage two: Garmin win team time trial to put Hushovd in yellow

Stage one: Gilbert blasts to victory as Tour gets off to spectacular start

Tour de France 2011: Highlights videos

Stage 20 video highlights

Stage 19 video highlights

Stage 18 video highlights

Stage 17 video highlights

Stage 16 video highlights

Stage 15 video highlights

Stage 14 video highlights

Stage 13 video highlights

Stage 12 video highlights

Stage 11 video highlights

Video: Feeding the riders at the Tour

Stage 10 video highlights

Stage nine video highlights

Stage eight video highlights

Stage seven video highlights

Stage six video highlights

Video: Erik Zabel's role as Cavendish's sprint advisor

Stage five video highlights

Video: The ride of Philippe Gilbert at the Tour de France

Stage four video highlights

Stage three video highlights

Stage two video highlights

Stage one video highlights

Tour de France 2011: Photo galleries
Stage 20 photo gallery by Graham WatsonStage 19 photo gallery by Graham WatsonStage 18 photo gallery by Graham WatsonStage 17 photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage 16 photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage 15 photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage 14 photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage 13 photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage 12 photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage 11 photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage 10 photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage nine photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage eight photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage seven photo gallery by Graham Watson

Tour de France 2011 wallpaper gallery

Stage six photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage five photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage four photo gallery by Andy Jones

Stage four photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage three photo gallery by Graham Watson

Stage two photo gallery by Andy Jones

Stage two photo gallery by Graham WatsonStage one photo gallery by Graham Watson

Tour de France 2011 team time trial training photo gallery by Andy Jones

Tour de France 2011 team presentation by Andy Jones

Tour de France 2011 team press conferences by Andy Jones

Tour de France 2011 team presentation by Graham Watson

Tour de France 2011: Live text coverage

Tour de France 2011 LIVE: CW's text coverage schedule

Stage seven live text coverage

Tour de France 2011: Archive videos

Video: 2003 Centenary Tour

Video: Lance Armstrong retrospective

Video: Behind the scenes at the Tour

Video: Guerini's 1999 stage win

Video: Thrills and spills at the Tour

Video: Armstrong in 1999

Video: The Indurain years

Video: Ladies of the Tour

Video: Best of bizarre


Tour de France 2011: Archive articles
1999 Tour de France stage two: Passage du Gois causes chaos

Tour de France 2011: TV schedule

British Eurosport Tour de France 2011 TV schedule

ITV4 Tour de France 2011 TV schedule

Tour de France 2011: Related links

Tour de France: The jerseys, what they are and what they mean

Potted history of the Tour de France

The closest Tours in history

Brits in the Tours: From Robinson to Wiggins

Tour de France 2010: Cycling Weekly's coverage index

 

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