Mark Cavendish Takes Sprint Win in Stage 2 of the Tour de Hongrie
Mark Cavendish (Astana Qazaqstan) was first to the line in a bunch sprint for the stage 2 win in Kazincbarcika at the Tour de Hongrie. His team masterfully led him into the final 200 meters, where Cav launched ahead of Dylan Groenewegen (Team Jayco AlUla) and Jon Aberasturi (Euskaltel-Euskadi).
The stage took on 162 km from Tokaj to Kazincbarcika. There were two category 3 climbs and three sprints.
After the lead group was reeled back by the peloton, sprinters from Astana, Lidl-Trek, and Euskaltel-Euskadi led the group into the final two kilometers. But Astana proved dominant into the final 500 meters to ensure Cav’s win.
“I’m really happy with it,” Cavendish said in a post-race interview. “Yesterday, we didn’t quite hit the lead-out properly. It was super good, and everyone committed 100 percent yesterday, but we were just a bit eager and a bit too soon.
“We talked and talked about that to rectify it today. It was a completely different finish today, no big boulevard or corners to make it technical, and we executed it exactly how we wanted it. I’m so happy.”
Even though the Giro d’Italia is getting most of the press and attention this month, the 45th edition of the Tour de Hongrie is well worth some attention. The tour includes five stages, 854 kilometers, nearly 8,000 meters of ascent, 10 categorized climbs, two classic sprinter stages, and two mountain finishes.
Cavendish will certainly be riding this high into the rest of the race. And he has perhaps the biggest support team in the world rallying to see him not only find victory in Hungary, but also to find one more stage win in the Tour de France this summer. The 34-time Tour de France stage winner will have another shot at glory starting on June 29 in Florence, Italy.
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