CYCLING TOUR DE FRANCE:BRITISH SPORTSMEN who walk the walk as well as talk the talk are rare creatures, but Mark Cavendish proved yesterday that his self-confidence is merited.
Having said he would do his utmost to win a stage in this Tour, and that this was possible because he has been faster than the other sprinters on seven occasions this year, he duly delivered on Avenue de la Châtre here, with the triple world road champion Oscar Freire struggling to keep pace.
It is five years since the last British stage win in the Tour, David Millar's victory in a time-trial at Nantes, but a huge 33 years had elapsed since Barry Hoban's win on the Bordeaux velodrome in 1975, the last time a Briton took a bunch sprint in the Tour.
Hoban managed eight stage wins in his career - that was the last - and if Cavendish is looking for other omens, the last Tour winner in this town was Mario Cipollini, king of the sprint for a decade in the Tour and Giro.
This was a magisterial sprint to close the Tour's longest stage, 145 miles. The last of his pilot fish, Gerald Ciolek of Austria, pulled off at 250 metres to go, just after the field swept up the last breakaway of the day, the French champion Nicolas Vogondy.
Initially Cavendish sprinted side by side with Thor Hushovd, the huge Norwegian who took Sunday's stage into Saint-Brieuc, but as the Credit Agricole leader faded, Freire and another wily old fox, the near-veteran German Erik Zabel, edged into the picture.
Cavendish, however, never looked like he was going to be caught, and he finished over a bike length clear.
"I've won a lot in the last year and a bit and there was only a Tour win that I had still to achieve," he said afterwards. "People always say, 'He's got some scalps, beaten some good people', but I've been one of the best in the last year. I thought of myself as a big name in sprinting, but unless you've won a Tour stage you can't count yourself a great sprinter."
Yesterday was his 18th victory since turning professional last season although Cavendish has some way to go before he matches Hoban - twice a Classic winner as well as those eight Tour stages - but if he continues as he has begun in the last 15 months, it is perfectly attainable. After that, who knows?
Cavendish has spoken frequently about the spirit in his Columbia team and yesterday they performed in exemplary style, putting all nine men on the front in the final kilometres to counter a stubborn display from the day's three-man escape: Vogondy, the Breton Lilian Jegou and the lanky Florent Brard.
This was a first truly major win for the American squad, born out of the ashes of T-Mobile when the German team went under last December. They launched a new-name sponsor at the Tour and are also trying to set the pace in riding "clean" under their US owner, Bob Stapleton.
This victory has implications that go beyond the Tour, too. In five weeks' time Cavendish will take part in the madison relay at the Olympic Games with Bradley Wiggins.
He feels an Olympic title to go with the duo's world title will be more straightforward than winning a Tour stage, and his confidence should remain high for Beijing.
For the future, Cavendish says he will not go for the green jersey in this Tour - "This year it's a bit out of my reach" - although it may fall to his team-mate, Kim Kirchen.
He will, however, "give it 100 per cent" to win another stage.
"I have the team to do it, for sure. I'm getting a bit tired now, but the team have been remarkable the way they have looked after me and kept me fresh."
Guardian Service
STAGE FIVE DETAILS
232KM FROM CHOLET TO CHATEAUROUX:1. M Cavendish (Britain/Columbia ) 5 hrs 27 mins 52 secs 2. O Freire (Spain/Rabobank ) 3. E Zabel (Germany/Milram ) 4. T Hushovd (Norway/Credit Agricole ) 5. B Cooke (Australia/Barloworld ) 6. R Hunter (South Africa/Barloworld ) 7. L Duque (Colombia/Cofidis ) 8. R McEwen (Australia/Silence - Lotto ) 9. F Chicchi (Italy/Liquigas ) 10. J Dean (New Zealand/Garmin - Chipotle ).
Overall standings:1. S Schumacher (Germany/Gerolsteiner ) 19 hrs 32 mins 33 secs 2. K Kirchen (Luxembourg/Columbia) +12 secs 3. D Millar (Britain/Garmin- Chipotle ) same time 4. C Evans (Australia/Silence-Lotto ) +21 5. F Cancellara (Switzerland/Team CSC ) +33 6. C Vandevelde (US /Garmin-Chipotle ) +37 7. G Hincapie (US/Columbia ) +41 8. T Lovkvist (Sweden/Columbia ) +47 9. V Nibali (Italy/Liquigas ) +58 10. J Ivan Gutierrez (Spain/Caisse dEpargne ) +1:01.
King of the Mountain:1. T Voeckler (France/Bouygues Telecom ) 19 points 2. S Chavanel (France/Cofidis ) 11 3. B Schroeder (Germany/Milram ) 9 4. D De la Fuente (Spain/Saunier Duval ) 4 5. L Jegou (France/Francaise des Jeux ) 3 6. C Moreau (France/Agritubel ) 3 7. G Lequatre (France/Agritubel ) 1 8. D Lelay (France/Agritubel ) 1 9. D Arroyo (Spain/Caisse dEpargne )
Sprinters:1. T Hushovd (Norway/Credit Agricole ) 88 points 2. O Freire (Spain/Rabobank ) 85 3. K Kirchen (Luxembourg/Columbia ) 81 4. E Zabel (Germany/Milram ) 72 5. R Hunter (South Africa/Barloworld ) 60 6. M Cavendish (Britain/Columbia ) 51 7. A Valverde (Spain/Caisse dEpargne ) 49 8. R Feillu (France/Agritubel ) 49 9. R McEwen (Australia/Silence-Lotto ) 49 10. J Pineau (France/Bouygues Telecom ) 46.
Team standings:1. Garmin-Chipotle 58 hrs 37 mins 35 secs 2. Columbia +1:44 3. Team CSC +2:35 4. Cofidis +3:20 5. Gerolsteiner +3:31 6. Caisse dEpargne +3:43 7. Liquigas +4:30 8. Quick-Step +5:08 9. Barloworld +5:31 10. Euskaltel +6:14.
