Mark Cavendish: 'I wish I could have done more for Edvald at Paris-Roubaix'
Mark Cavendish says he's pleased with his efforts in the 2016 Paris-Roubaix, but wishes he could have done more for teammate Edvald Boasson Hagen
Mark Cavendish finished Paris-Roubaix on Sunday for the first time and placed 30th, but he left the famous velodrome in northern France wishing he could have done more to help Dimension Data teammate Edvald Boasson Hagen.
Boasson Hagen slugged it out with the race favourites Tom Boonen (Etixx–Quick-Step), Sep Vanmarcke (LottoNL-Jumbo) and Ian Stannard (Sky), but finished fifth when Mathew Hayman (Orica-GreenEDGE) surprised them all.
Cavendish coughed from the dust, his hands showed blisters and he said that he had "sore balls" but wanted to do more.
"I wasn't on early duty and we missed a group of 20, so I did the biggest watts of the race to get over to that. 1400 watts to get over to that. Two big sprints, and I thought, 'I'm going to pay for this later.' But we had to be represented in that move," Cavendish told Cycling Weekly.
"It's a hard race. It's my second time, the first time I finished it, and I wish I could've done more for Edvald, but I was on the wrong side of the crash when the race split. The road was blocked."
Cavendish sat inside his white team bus after a shower. "I just watched the final now," he said.
"I'm super happy for Edvald. He did really well. That's our best result in the Classics. I knew that he'd be up there. He was motivated. There's some of the biggest riders in this race, so to be slugging it out with them."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Like race favourites Peter Sagan (Tinkoff) and Fabian Cancellara (Trek-Segafredo), the Manxman braked to avoid the Quérénaing sector crash of Alexander Porsev (Katusha) at 115km to race and saw the winning move ride clear.
Watch: Paris-Roubaix 2016 highlights
He remained with Sagan, avoided crashing and placed as Great Britain's third best behind Stannard in third and Luke Rowe (Team Sky) in 14th. He looked at his hands again, he said he would never race without gloves like Boonen. The race was "sketchy" as he would have expected the 'Hell of the North' to be.
"I had a puncture on the road section, but the sketchiest point was when Cancellara and Terpstra crashed in the mud," Cavendish added.
'The cars stopped on the right, which forced us coming from behind to go on the mud. The guys in front of me slammed on, I ended up on my front wheel on the banking of the cobbles, on mud. I was on my front wheel. How I kept upright, I don't know," he added.
"I always had a good appreciation for this race. I grew up watching it. I wanted to ride it for a long time. I've already had appreciation and respect for the guys who slug it out."
Sports director Roger Hammond said that Cavendish can return again and fight for the win. Cavendish said that he remains unsure.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
'I don't want to stop riding and racing' - Joss Lowden on the tough decision to retire
37-year-old is eyeing up gravel, track and time trial options after final professional road race
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Tech of the Week: Rapha's Shakedry alternative, Lapierre's carbon Crosshill gravel muncher, Bianchi Oltre gets colourful and Spesh's supernaturally powered Vado
Lots for you this week, from Rapha's environmentally-friendly laminate rain jacket, to a super-lightweight Vado e-bike from Specialized
By Luke Friend Published
-
Mark Cavendish to conclude professional cycling career in Singapore
Tour de France stage win record holder to bring curtain down on racing career at ASO end of season criteriums in Asia
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Mark Cavendish set to end his career at Tour de France Singapore Criterium
Event will be Cavendish's final appearance for Astana Qazaqstan after he won a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage in July
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
'I've lived everyone’s dream': Mark Cavendish hints at snap retirement after last ever Tour de France stage
The Manx Missile is the 2024 Tour's lanterne rouge
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
'I'm so tired': Emotional Mark Cavendish thanks teammates after surviving Tour de France time cut
The Briton is just two days away from finishing the Tour de France for an eighth time
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Mark Cavendish makes time limit on stage 19 - and four other tales of riders who survived the Tour de France cut-off
Brit finishes with more than five minutes to spare on Isola 2000
By Tom Davidson Published
-
End of an era: Witnessing Mark Cavendish's last ever Tour de France sprint
The Astana Qazaqstan rider finished 17th in Nîmes in what is almost definitely his last ever sprint at the Tour. Cycling Weekly was there to see it
By Adam Becket Published
-
Mark Cavendish 'upset and angry' after being relegated for 'deviation' on Tour de France stage 12
The Astana-Qazaqstan rider originally finished fifth, before being relegated
By Adam Becket Published
-
Rod Ellingworth 'totally open' to Mark Cavendish making Tour of Britain appearance
'There will always be a place for Mark' says race director after Cavendish’s Tour de France record breaking triumph in Saint-Vulbas
By Tom Thewlis Published