Vinokourov: The most important thing is that Cavendish keeps calm

Astana Qazaqstan team manager Alexander Vinokourov says that Mark Cavendish has “five or six” opportunities to go for the record-breaking 35th stage win at the Tour de France, but also argues the the most important thing is that the veteran fastman "keeps calm."

Sixth on stage 3 on Monday, Cavendish will have another chance to go for the victory on stage 4 in Nogaro before the race enters the Pyrenees.

After stage 3, Cavendish praised his Astana Qazaqstan teammates for their work in putting him into position for the final sprint, saying they had “nailed” any challenges that presented.

“I think he’s in a good place,” Vinokourov told Spanish newspaper AS. “He’s pleased with the team, with his teammates and his [stage 21] victory in the Giro d’Italia means his motivation is high.

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“Our big goal is to get that stage, but he has to stay calm. That’s the most important thing of all.

“If he wins here that would be very nice, not just for him but also for the team. It’d be a great way to finish his career. I don’t want to put him under more stress than he already feels. The day before the Tour we went out for a bike ride together and I told him he should keep calm.”

Vinokourov argued that apart from Cavendish, the other goal for the team is to get into breaks on the hiller days, with Kazakhstan national champion Alexey Lutsenko, a stage winner in the 2020 Tour, one of their main men for that. Others who could do that are Luis León Sánchez and David de La Cruz.

“They’ve got their chances, particularly on the mountainous stages, but possibly Lutsenko is the strongest rider for that,” Vinokourov argued.

But for Astana Qazaqstan, Tuesday’s stage 4, in any case, will be all about Cavendish.