'I see no reason to leave him at home' - Andre Greipel backs 'fastest' Mark Cavendish for Tour de France spot
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Published 20/02/2022 at 10:36 GMT
A lot of the talk in the cycling world at the start of the 2022 season is concerning the battle between Mark Cavendish and Fabio Jakobsen for the sprinter's spot on Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl's team for the 2022 Tour de France. Andre Greipel feels his old rival is still the fastest and deserves the spot.
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Andre Greipel has said it would be a strange move if Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl decided to leave Mark Cavendish out of their Tour de France squad.
The cycling season is cranking into life, and plenty of column inches have been devoted to the battle between Cavendish and Fabio Jakobsen for the sprinter’s spot on Quick-Step’s team for the Tour.
As things stand, Jakobsen appears to be the man in possession as team chief Patrick Lefevere said the Dutchman would be on the start line at the Tour - with Cavendish slated for the Giro D’Italia.
Much can change, and will likely hinge on who looks in the best form in the weeks leading up to the Grand Depart.
Both have already notched stage wins this term, and Cavendish’s great rival Greipel was impressed with the Manxman at the Tour of Oman.
"You could clearly see in the Tour of Oman that Mark is still the fastest," he told Wielerflits of a man who needs one more stage win at the Tour to move ahead of Eddy Merckx on the all-time winners’ list.
Talking about Cavendish and the Tour, Greipel said: “I see no reason to leave him at home.
“I saw early last year that he was back on the level. I was called crazy when I said that, but look how many Tours sprints he won.
“It's not my decision, but I wouldn't think it smart not to take him to France."
Greipel did add that Jakobsen impressed him in Valencia and does not envy whoever has to make the decision as “two sprinters in one team is always one too many.”
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