Читать книгу Etape. The untold stories of the Tour de France’s defining stages онлайн

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‘I just kept my rhythm. But I stayed in the top fifteen up there. I could see Rabobank go to the front, with [Denis] Menchov up there, and I remember just feeling comfortable. Then it kicked up again, the last couple of ks. And that did hurt.’

At this point, Laurent Lefèvre attacks, and he’s joined by the world champion, Alessandro Ballan. With the increase in pace behind them, Cavendish drops to fourteenth wheel, still with Martin in front, shepherding him. He has his hands on his brake hoods, perched on the nose of his saddle, and he is frowning. But additional support arrives in the shape of his Belgian team-mate, Maxime Monfort. He sits behind Martin; Cavendish sits behind both as riders pass him and he slides down the peloton. ‘I went halfway down the peloton. Luis León Sánchez attacked over the top, and he was getting behind the [TV and photographers’] motorbikes. The motorbikes that year, they were notorious for coming close to the peloton; they came really close to breaks and that.’ And riders could profit: tucking in behind them, getting shelter from the wind: even a brief moment would help.