Cavendish comes closest yet to win in 2011 season

Mark Cavendish, Tour Down Under 2011

Britain's Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) came his nearest yet to a victory in 2011 when he finished a close second to Theo Bos (Rabobank) in stage one of the Tour of Oman.

Well within sight of the finishing gantry, Cavendish had to swerve abruptly to avoid a spectator standing on the edge of the road. Add to that: his team in Oman is far from being as polished a sprint train as he usually gets; a three-kilometres-sign-to-go in the wrong place that led to his being a little far back late on; and it all added up to a narrow defeat.

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