Cavendish Retains Missouri Tourism Leader's Jersey with Stage 2 Triumph at 2009 Tour of Missouri

Cavendish Takes Second Stage In A Row In Cape Girardeau
Photo by Greg Chang - Photosport International

Stage 2 Results

ST. LOUIS, MO − (September 8, 2009) − British speedster Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) proved to be the fastest man in the peloton for a second day,  winning Stage 2, presented by Missouri Wine & Grape Board, at the 2009 Tour of Missouri. Cavendish finished in 4 hours, 16 minutes, 53 seconds.  Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team) secured second and Juan Jose Haedo (Saxo Bank) took third, reversing their podium places from yesterday.

In the general classification, Hushovd moves up from fifth to second overall, 10 seconds behind Cavendish.  Haedo remains in third overall, with the same time as Hushovd.

"I had less people at the end from our team. It was a bit surprising, there were attacks from the other teams, like Kelly Benefits attacked with 5k to go. It upset the rhythm," Cavendish said about the sprint finish in Stage 2, which was his 25th victory of the season." (Today's stage) resembles central France, central-eastern, the roads you ride on in the transition stages of this year’s Tour (de France). You’re kind of laboring on these climbs; the climbs aren’t short enough that you roll up them, or long enough that your suffer up them."

A significant casualty of the day was the withdrawal of Tour of Missouri defending champion Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Slipstream). He started Stage 2 in Ste. Genevieve, but abandoned after the first few miles due to discomfort in his right hand from a hairline fracture at the base of his second metacarpal. He suffered the injury in the final 500 meters of Monday's circuit race in St. Louis.

"However painful it was to crash yesterday, riding back to the bus by myself was even more painful. The Tour of Missouri means a lot to me, my team and my sponsors. I would have loved to have been able to finish it," Vande Velde stated shortly after pulling out of the race. The 33-year-old is a native of Lemont, Ill. and has family in Missouri. He was in good form this year, having finished 8th overall at the 2009 Tour de France.

A hot pace was matched by sultry weather today as the field of 116 pro riders averaged 26.25 miles per hour over the 112.4 mile (180.9 km) route. Three riders, Americans Kiel Reijnen (Jelly Belly Cycling) and Tim Duggan (Garmin-Slipstream), and Canadian Francois Parisien (Planet Energy), broke away for 75 miles of the race. They were caught four miles from the finish.

The start host city, Ste. Genevieve, appeared to have all of its 4,500 residents, and then some, lining the streets of the 18th Century French colony community for an impressive sendoff. Riders then followed the "Route de Vin" past local vineyards and onto the endless undulating roadways and narrow bridges along the bluffs near the Mississippi River, leading up to Cape Girardeau.

The 24-year-old Cavendish retains three award jerseys - Missouri Tourism Leader's jersey, Edward Jones Sprint jersey and the 180 Energy/Icelandic Glacial Water Best Young Rider jersey.   Moises Aldape (Team Type I) of Mexico will continue wearing the Michelob Ultra KOM jersey, and the Drury Hotels Most Aggressive Rider jersey was presented to Francois Parisien with Planet Energy.

"This kind of course is really my favorite kind of course. I’ve learned to race in northern France and Brittany. I’m really used to it. I really like it," said Parisien, who rides on the all-Canadian Planet Energy team. "I think Canadian cycling is going a lot better than before... It’s really important for us to show that we’re here to try to win races. We’re, maybe, underdogs, but we’re not here just for the show. The main point is to show that we’re able to do that and hopefully win a race."

Wednesday's Stage 3 is the longest of the week, covering 114.3 miles (183.9 km), from Farmington to Rolla, and is presented by Emerson. There will be over 7,000 feet of climbing on the day, passing to the north of the highest point in Missouri, Taum Sauk Mountain in the Saint Francois Mountains.