Imagine speeding down a winding mountain road going 60 mph, protected by little more than carbon, spandex and a helmet, surrounded by nearly 200 competitors as thousands of stunned onlookers shout and jeer. Now, imagine doing that for six hours a day for three weeks, with just two rest days to gather enough strength and wits to keep going. Welcome to the Tour de France, the most elite bicycle race in the world and perhaps the most grueling endurance challenge undertaken by professional athletes.
He planned to smash that record last year and retire from professional cycling, but he crashed out of the Tour before he achieved his dream. Now 39 years old, Cavendish will head to Florence with that one goal in mind. But he has fierce competition by the name of Jasper Philipsen of team Alpecin-Deceuninck. Philipsen, of Belgium, emerged last year as the peloton’s top sprinter, winning four stages with the help of teammate Mathieu van der Poel, also known as the Flying Dutchman.