Abu Dhabi: British cycling ace Mark Cavendish sees his second child Frey David Cavendish, born last month, taking forward his legacy in his own way — as a climber.
“Yes, my son is nice but he’s got skinny legs. He’s going to be a climber, not like his dad,” said Cavendish with a mischievous smile after unveiling the jerseys for the inaugural Abu Dhabi Tour at the Yas Marina Circuit. The event is scheduled from October 8-11.
Cavendish, who enjoyed a prolific season, winning 13 races in locations as diverse as Argentina, Turkey, Dubai, California and Flanders, is also the brand ambassador for the Abu Dhabi Tour and was keen to make a mark in the season-ending event.
The first two stages — The Adnoc stage 1 (175 km) to be held at the Abu Dhabi’s Rub Al Khali desert and stage 2 The capital stage (130 km) — are tailormade for the sprinters and Cavendish very much fancies his chances on both.
“I’m eyeing the jerseys in the first two races as it suits the sprinters as it is flat,” revealed ‘Cav,’ who felt he risked losing ground in the gruelling third stage in Al Ain, which he felt would be decisive in the overall results. The third stage includes an 11-km long climb towards the finish at Jebel Hafeet.
“I don’t think I have a chance of winning the general classification and the overall title as the third stage will be all about the climbers. However, hopefully our team will bring in one good climber. I will be more than happy if the team wins,” said Cavendish, who had only one bib in the Tour de France this season as against the four, five or six he won between 2008 and 2011.
The added attraction of the Tour is a night stage and the Briton felt that the spectacularly lit Yas Marina Circuit would make it interesting.
“I’m looking forward to the whole course and to finish at the Circuit, one of the famous circuits in the world, would be pretty spectacular. I’ve watched Formula One on TV and watched the race on TV. It looks spectacular on TV and to be riding and racing on it will be a pretty fitting finale to the season,” said Cavendish, adding that he felt the wind too would have a role to play in the outcome of the event.
“Wind can be testing at times — especially the crosswind. However, I’m super excited about the Abu Dhabi event. Everyone is looking forward to come to the end of the season and have a spectacular showdown. We will definitely see a strong field here,” said Cavendish, who won the Dubai Tour earlier this year.
