The Tour de France is the pinnacle of cycling, universally recognized as the sport’s greatest race. However, for British sprinting champion Mark Cavendish, it’s pretty much no biggie at this point. He’s aiming for an Olympic gold in front of his countrymen. From the Associated Press:
Tour de France 2012: Sprinting Champ Mark Cavendish More Focused On Olympics
“In cycling, the Olympics does not rank highly, it is not a prestigious event, but as a Great Britain athlete to compete for the flag I was born under, is a big thing,” he said. “It brings extra motivation. That is why I am changing (my training). I will not be as successful in the Tour de France as I have been in the past.”
Cavendish has reportedly lost more than 10 pounds in his efforts to transform from a pure sprinter to a cyclist capable of winning a stage-race. He won his first of those, the Ster ZLM Toer, in the Netherlands last week, which he called “a benchmark” in his career.
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