Cavendish's victory made amends for Saturday's result for his Etixx-QuickStep team in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, which saw three of the team's riders overhauled by Brit Ian Stannard in the race's finale.
It was Cavendish's sixth win of the year so far, and saw him easily sprint ahead of rival Alexander Kristoff (Katusha) to take the honours. It will serve as a huge morale boost for the Manxman, as Kristoff has been touted as one of the leading favourites for Milan-San Remo later this month.
Cavendish said after the victory: "I’m happy to beat Kristoff, one of the best riders in the world right now. I’m happy to win in the first showing against him this year.”
The way Cavendish took on the climbs of KBK will have his Milan-San Remo rivals worried.
