Still the fastest man | Stage 18 Cav! What a terrific victory - the best sprinter in the Tour taking the win in Bordeaux, a city that has hosted more stages and more sprint finishes than any other city bar Paris. HTC-Columbia once again shouldered the bulk of the workload early to keep the break within reach before really knuckling down to take control at the head of the field up until the last couple of kilometres. Missing Hansen and Renshaw, they were always unlikely to be able to maintain their train all the way to the finish. Today they would need to improvise and this they did brilliantly, Cavendish leaping from train to train before diving for the wheel of Petacchi then sprinting over the top of him. It was his most McEwenesque victory, and one that will have won the Manx missile a whole bunch more fans. Schleck will need a significantly improved time trial and a better plan if he is to seriously threaten Contador. And if he doesn’t, he’s destined to continue to be cast in the role of Raymond Poulidor to Contador’s Jacques Anquetil for years to come. View high resolution

Still the fastest man | Stage 18

Cav! What a terrific victory - the best sprinter in the Tour taking the win in Bordeaux, a city that has hosted more stages and more sprint finishes than any other city bar Paris.

HTC-Columbia once again shouldered the bulk of the workload early to keep the break within reach before really knuckling down to take control at the head of the field up until the last couple of kilometres. Missing Hansen and Renshaw, they were always unlikely to be able to maintain their train all the way to the finish. Today they would need to improvise and this they did brilliantly, Cavendish leaping from train to train before diving for the wheel of Petacchi then sprinting over the top of him. It was his most McEwenesque victory, and one that will have won the Manx missile a whole bunch more fans.

Schleck will need a significantly improved time trial and a better plan if he is to seriously threaten Contador. And if he doesn’t, he’s destined to continue to be cast in the role of Raymond Poulidor to Contador’s Jacques Anquetil for years to come.

Notes