Mark Cavendish (Etixx-QuickStep) continued his winning start to the 2015 season by taking the bunch sprint at the end of the Clasica de Almeria on Sunday - his first European win of the year.
Cavendish won the 183.3-kilometre UCI 1.1-ranked Spanish race ahead of Juan Jose Lobato (Movistar) and his own key lead-out man Mark Renshaw (Etixx-QuickStep). Cavendish had enough of a clear lead over the line to take the time to raise his hands in celebration.
It's the fifth victory for 29-year-old Manx sprinter, after a stage of the Tour de San Luis and two stages and the overall classification at the Dubai Tour.
This latest victory signals Cavendish's continued good form leading into the European race calendar, including his target of Milan-San Remo on March 22.
>>> Mark Cavendish: Not finished yet
Result
Clasica de Almeria 2015, 183.3km
1. Mark Cavendish (GBr) Etixx-QuickStep in 4-36-19
2. Juan Jose Lobato (Spa) Movistar
3. Mark Renshaw (Aus) Etixx-QuickStep
4. Valerio Agnoli (Ita) Astana
5. Edward Theuns (Bel) Topsport Vlaanderen
6. Alexander Porsev (Rus) Katusha
7. Lloyd Mondory (Fra) Ag2r
8. Grega Bole (Slo) CCC Sprandi
10. Rudiger Selig (Ger) Katusha all same time
-
-
Ethan Hayter sprints to victory and the overall lead on stage two of Volta ao Algarve 2021
The British rider had two team-mates sacrificing themselves to carry him to the win
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Specialized Hover Alloy 15mm rise plus flare handlebar
The Hover bar might split opinion aesthetically - but it's got a lot going for it
By Toby Martin •
-
Mark Cavendish down to make second appearance of 2021 at Le Samyn
Mark Cavendish is down to make his second appearance back at Deceuninck - Quick-Step with a race around the tough cobbled roads of Le Samyn, a race he has not attended for 14 years.
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
12 surprising riders still searching for contracts as 2020 season comes to an end
Here are just 12 of the 330 male and female riders who are without a contract for the 2021 season
By Tim Bonville-Ginn •
-
Mark Cavendish goes for ride with young fan ‘to cheer us both up’ after Tour de France omission
Cavendish will not start the Tour de France for the first time since his debut at the race in 2007
By Jonny Long •
-
He may be missing the Tour, but don’t write off Mark Cavendish just yet
He may have missed out on selection for the Tour, but Mark Cavendish has made a career out of bouncing back
By Peter Cossins •
-
Here are the top 10 hissy fits thrown by professional cyclists
When cyclists lose their temper, it can have comical outcomes
By Jack Elton-Walters •
-
Mark Cavendish has 'beaten' the Epstein-Barr virus, as he clears threshold for first time in two years
A blood test has shown the Manxman has, at least for the time being, beaten the illness that has plagued him since 2017
By Jonny Long •
-
'I felt unbeatable until he came along': Mark Cavendish pays tribute to great rival Marcel Kittel
Cavendish has thanked Kittel for being a rival that lifted his game after the German quit Katusha-Alpecin to take a break from racing
By Jonny Long •
-
Top 10 cycling news stories of 2018
We’ve pulled together a list of the most-read news articles on the Cycling Weekly website for 2018.
By Alex Ballinger •
