Mark almost immediately collapsed off his bike due to exhaustion having won the stage, thankfully his soigneur was at hand and after a quick drink he was back on his feet.

“I wanted to take it easier today but the breakaway group got to 13 minutes clear and Orica started riding and then we put one on the front but I didn’t want to ride and I told the coach I didn’t want to ride.

“I said give the guys a break, they rode hard on Thursday and give me a break, I’m tired, I need to get through the mountains.”

“On the climb the whole team stayed with me and they were super supportive and gave everything once again so all I could do was try to finish it off.

“I’m super tired now but so happy with the result.”

He was part of a strong chasing group that hauled in a a five man breakaway in the final kilometre. His win in Treviso took his tally to 3 wins at this year’s Giro d’Italia.

After the race Cav said, “Getting 100 wins is special…It’s a milestone. I’ve been looking forward to doing it. I am happy to do it at the Giro. I am even happier about how the team did it. They rode out of their skins. They were incredible. Each of them did something special today.

Omega Pharma-Quickstep controlled the racing for most of the day, with some help from the Française des Jeux team. Cavendish feels under pressure when his team take it on in this way, but he also thrives on that stress, and after a hectic finale he was perfectly delivered by the Belgian Gert Steegmans, who emerged in the final 300m, with Mark on his wheel until the final 100m.

“It’s incredible…Nothing went wrong, everyone rode until their legs had no more.” He compared setting up his new train to “building a sports car, you start with all the bits and pieces, and when everything fits together you go faster than all the others. I’m the exhaust – I’m the last part and I make the most noise.”

Cavendish looked to be in trouble when his lead-out man faltered in the final sprint, but the Omega Pharma-Quickstep rider edged Elia Viviani on the line.

It is his 11th stage win in the Italian race and he will wear the leader’s pink jersey for a fourth time on Sunday.

The accident, which involved fellow Brit David Millar, who rides for Garmin, occurred in the final three kilometres of the stage and race officials eventually applied the neutralising rule which states that those riders who were in the leading bunch, but held up by a crash, should be awarded the same time as the winner.

The 130km first stage, which featured 207 riders, began and ended in Naples, with Cavendish coming out on top in a dash for the line after eight laps of a short city circuit.

“It was a difficult, difficult stage for me,” he said.

“It was not easy with all the corners but the team did incredible to stay at the front. We didn’t get it quite right at the end and Gert [Steegmans] had a mechanical in the final kilo which we need to look at.

“They are costing us too many races. It was really, really hot out there but I wanted it so bad.

“I came here to win sprints and I’ve started the race the way I wanted to.”

Cavendish, who is competing in his fifth Giro d’Italia and wore the race leader’s jersey for two days in 2009 and for one day in 2011, had been kept near the front of the peloton for much of the opening stage which saw an early breakaway of seven riders.

A crash in the final couple of kilometres splintered the peloton but Cavendish was unaffected and he was left to contest the sprint finish with around 10 other riders.

Cavendish recorded a time of two hours, 58 minutes, 38 seconds but as stage winner he picks up a 20-second bonus, with Viviani collecting a 12-second bonus and Bouhanni eight seconds.

© OPQS / Tim de Waele

The Omega Pharma Quick Step rider most  recently won stage two of the Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde and, having won  Scheldeprijs in 2007, 2008 and 2011, is psyched to hit the line first tomorrow.

He is currently equal on three wins with Piet Oellibrandt and, according  to directeur sportif Wilfried Peeters, he will have full backing as he seeks to  further improve his showing in the race.

“Mark can beat the record of  victories tomorrow and the team will help him out try to do this,” he said. “We  have an experienced team for these kind of races and a few fresh riders for the  leadout of Mark.

“It will not be so easy with the competitors at the  race, but Mark has shown he is in good condition and can win with many different  sprint situations in the final.”

Cavendish will be up against a number of  other sprinters, including last year’s winner Marcel Kittel (Argos Shimano),  Andre Greipel (Lotto Belisol) and Arnaud Demare (FDJ).

He will be aided  in the flat race by Andrew Fenn, Iljo Keisse, Nikolas Maes, Gert Steegmans,  Guillaume Van Keirsbulck, Stijn Vandenbergh and Martin Velits.

Last year  he became a father one day before the start of the race and consequently did not  take part. Kittel won a big gallop ahead of Tyler Farrar and Theo Bos.

Velonation

Cav shared his inspirations with the Oakley team in order come up with the signature “Cavendish Green” frame among other unique characteristics surrounding the launch of this new and exciting signature product.  The Cavendish Green of this special edition salutes the color that drives him to win the coveted green “points” jersey of the Tour de France.

Monday, April 1 will mark the launch of the new Mark Cavendish Signature Series RadarLock™.  Oakley’s ultimate sport performance jewel, RadarLock™ is a vital piece of equipment for Cavendish.  Oakley Switchlock™ Technology makes lens changing fast and easy, an essential element of Cav’s sport of cycling where weather and light conditions can change at any moment.

Included in the Mark Cavendish Signature Series RadarLock™ package are two patented Path shaped lenses with venting to keep the rider cool.  Both the Jade Iridium® and G40™ lenses, included in the package, aid in creating balanced light transmission that enhances contrast to boost depth perception.  Jade Iridium is optimal for bright sun, while G40™ can be used for a clear view to the finish line on cloudy days.  All Oakley lenses offer unrivaled impact protection and 100% UV filtering of Plutonite® lens material.  Finally, Cavendish’s logo will be laser etched at the corner of the lens to make this a true collectible.

The Package

Oakley didn’t want to simply stop with the sunglass itself to emphasize the special edition status of this signature piece.   The special edition package will include a custom Microclear™ bag for lens cleaning and frame storage, and a pocket on the bag holds the extra lens.   One of the most unique characteristics of this new product launch is the inclusion of a one-size-fits-all cycling cap from Rapha® made of a cotton/polyester blend, with silver printed highlights including Cav’s logo.  This was a vital piece of equipment Cavendish wanted included in his signature series piece.

“A cycling cap is a sweat barrier, wind deflector, sun screen and more, but I wear one to honor the heritage of the sport and the riders from those early years who laid the foundation for cycling to become what it is today,” Cav said. “They’ll always be part of the peloton.”

http://uk.oakley.com/sports/road-cycling/posts/3951

Following the race Cav admitted, “I didn’t feel great earlier in the day…half way through I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can do it’ – so I’m really happy withe the win.”

The Milan Sanremo tends to be favoured by sprinters and is one of the hardest of the five ‘monuments.

Mark won the Milan Sanremo in 2009 becoming only the second British rider to win since Tom Simpson in 1964. Although Mark has been quoted saying the race is “not a big objective” if he remains in the lead group few would fancy their chances in a one-on-one sprint with the Manxman.

2009 Milan Sanremo win

The Belgium-based outfit, which includes two-time world champion Tony Martin,  powered through the 16.9km course in 19 minutes and 24 seconds to take line  honours in wet conditions.

British national time trial gold medallist Alex Dowsett’s Movistar team was  11sec off the pace in second with Cadel Evans’s BMC squad in third [19:40]. Sky,  led by Chris Froome, came in at 19:49 for seventh.

“Two words: Tony Martin. He did the majority today,” Cavendish said  post-race.

“The planning they put into it but without putting too much pressure on it  … We finished with five but everybody had a part to play.”

Omega Pharma-Quick Step entered the stage as hot favourites being the team  time trial world champions. Cavendish will have an opportunity to defend the  leader’s jersey with tomorrow’s 232km trek to Indicatore one for the sprinters.

The Manxman will face rival Andre Greipel [Lotto Belisol] there for the first  time this season after Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne was cancelled due to snow. Matt  Goss [Orica-GreenEdge], Tyler Farrar [Garmin-Sharp], Tour de France green jersey  winner Peter Sagan [Cannondale], Arnaud Demare [FDJ] and John Degenkolb  [Argos-Shimano] are amongst the other stage two contenders.

© OPQS / Tim de Waele

Cycling Weekly, Sophie Smith http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/537244/mark-cavendish-leads-tirreno-with-team-time-trial-win.html