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Mark Cavendish wins Tour of Qatar stage

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Qatar hero! British star Cavendish storms to victory on stage three

By
Mike Dawes

PUBLISHED:

15:55 GMT, 5 February 2013

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UPDATED:

16:04 GMT, 5 February 2013

Mark Cavendish claimed his second win for Omega Pharma-QuickStep on stage three of the Tour of Qatar today.

The 27-year-old from the Isle of Man, who joined Omega Pharma-QuickStep following one year at Team Sky, opened his account for the Belgian squad in the Tour de San Luis and added another victory on the 143-kilometre route from Al Wakra to Mesaieed.

A 10-second time bonus accompanied the win and moved Cavendish to fourth overall, eight seconds behind American Brent Bookwalter (BMC Racing), who retained the lead.

All smiles: Mark Cavendish celebrates his stage win in Qatar

All smiles: Mark Cavendish celebrates his stage win in Qatar

Mark Cavendish

Two of Bookwalter's team-mates – American Taylor Phinney and Briton Adam Blythe – remained second and third overall, respectively.

Tomorrow's fourth stage is the 160km route from Camel Race Track to Al Khor Corniche.Cavendish wrote on Twitter:

'Nice to get the win here today in Tour Of Qatar! '@opqscyclingteam just chaperoned me the whole day. Machines! BIG machines! Thanks guys.'

Over the line: Cavendish powers to victory on stage three of the Qatar Tour

Over the line: Cavendish powers to victory on stage three of the Qatar Tour

Mark Cavendish

In an Omega Pharma-QuickStep media release, the Manxman added: 'I felt really strong, so I have to thank my team. They really kept me protected, kept me out of trouble the whole time and gave me energy for the sprint.

'I really had to kick at 350 meters, I was so far back.'

On the prospect of taking overall victory on Friday's final day, he added: 'I think it's best to come here, focus on the stage wins, and hope the GC (general classification) can come from that.'

Bradley Wiggins was a shoo-in for the Sports Personality of the Year before his crash, but I fear he"s spoilt it with his crass and stupid finger…

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I was certain Wiggins was a shoo-in for the Sports Personality crown, but I fear he's spoilt it with this crass and stupid finger gesture

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UPDATED:

17:45 GMT, 8 November 2012

Bradley Wiggins was a shoo-in for Sports Personality of the Year… but now I'm not so sure.

Flicking a finger at waiting photographers today betrays his recently-acquired sporting hero status. Bluntly, it was an uncouth and unnecessary act.

I applauded when Wiggo delivered his nonchalantl V-for-victory sign on his Hampton Court throne. He'd just won Olympic Gold in the road time trial.

I rose from my sofa and cheered as the 32-year-old selflessly led out Mark Cavendish to sprint home on the Champs Elysee, Wiggins himself assured of victory in sports biggest, most brutal, most fascinating race.

Crude and uncouth: Cyclist Bardley Wiggins flicks the finger at photographers as he returns home from hospital after having a crashed in Lancashire yesterday

Crude and uncouth: Cyclist Bardley Wiggins flicks the finger at photographers as he returns home from hospital after having a crashed in Lancashire yesterday

Hoodie: Wiggins arrives home clutching his ribs after being treated at The Royal Preston Hospital. The Tourde France champion came off is bike after colliding with a white Astra van as the van pulled away from a BP filling station forecourt

Hoodie: Wiggins arrives home clutching his ribs after being treated at The Royal Preston Hospital. The Tourde France champion came off is bike after colliding with a white Astra van as the van pulled away from a BP filling station forecourt

HAVE YOUR SAY…

Use the comments section below – or click here – to tell us whether you think Bradley Wiggins should win the Sports Personality Of The Year…

I beamed at his sportsmanship when he called back his break-away group after Tour de France rival cadel Evans' had been sabotaged by tacks on the road. The French dubbed him 'Le Gentleman'. Wiggo shrugged, he'd simply done the right thing.

I frowned at the news he'd crashed in Lancashire yesterday and – like countless others – was thirsty for news that he was unharmed.

Hell, I even agreed with him when he branded as 'w*****s' those who doubted his Herculean Tour effort was clean. He had fast turned into my summer sporting idol.

And then he went and spoilt it all by doing something stupid. Something crass and unthinking. The waiting scrum of photographers were there to confirm you were OK, Brad. To show your fans to worry no more.

Bradley Wiggins (C) celebrating with teammates after winning the 2012 Tour de France

Bradley Wiggins takes the gold medal for Team GB in the Men's TimeTrial event at Hampton Court

King of cool: Wiggins celebrates his Tour de France victory (left) and his Olympic gold triumph (right)

To us sports fans you are a valuable commodity. A champion. A man of the people. A flawed genius. And, crucially, you're one of us: a Brit. A working-class, salt of the earth, boy done good.

A man with the world trailing in his wake thanks to hard work and a rogueish charisma.

Winning Sports Personality of the Year would have been the least of your considerable achievements, but it would have been no less deserved.

It's not too late. Apologise for the finger gesture. Say you weren't thinking straight. After all, you had just fallen on your head.

I'm ready to applaud you once more. Please don't let me down again… Oh, and bring back the sideburns!

Pace ace: Wiggins was cheered along the roads of Surrey by hoardes of cycling fans on his way to Olympic gold this summer

Pace ace: Wiggins was cheered along the roads of Surrey by hoardes of cycling fans on his way to Olympic gold this summer

BBC to crack down on ticket companies for Sports Personality

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BBC to crack down on ticket companies after SPOTY briefs hit 600 online

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UPDATED:

01:01 GMT, 31 October 2012

The BBC have vowed to clamp down on the companies who are reselling tickets to this year’s Sports Personality of the Year show at up to 12 times their face value.

Tickets went on sale at 9am on Tuesday for the December 16 show at 50 apiece, but huge demand meant they sold out within half an hour.

The BBC would not reveal how many tickets were sold for the event at the 15,000-capacity ExCeL centre, where Bradley Wiggins, Andy Murray and Mo Farah are favourites for the award after an incredible year for British sport.

In the running: Bradley Wiggins is one of the favourites for the award

In the running: Bradley Wiggins is one of the favourites for the award

But fans were left stunned and angry when tickets appeared for sale elsewhere, with ticket marketplace Viagogo offering seats at prices ranging from 99 to 599. Bids on eBay reached 510 for four tickets.

The BBC insisted it would take legal action against any company breaching its strict guidelines on the sale of tickets that do not come from one of its authorised outlets.

A spokesman said: ‘Safeguards in place are stated clearly in the ticket terms and conditions — maximum six tickets per transaction, sold through a reputable experienced company. The BBC legal department are actively pursuing individual websites.’

Fans who missed out on tickets complained that the sales process was worse than the much-criticised London 2012 Olympics ticket website, which repeatedly stalled during ticket sales.

Best of British: Mark Cavendish took the honours last year

Best of British: Mark Cavendish took the honours last year

Online sport magazine SportChickUK tweeted: ‘Sports Personality just like the Olympics — unable to get tickets and sold out.’

Fan Stefan Linnane, from Northampton, tweeted: ‘Ticket website more frustrating than Olympics website.’

A source at See Tickets, which operated the seats sale for the BBC, said: ‘Demand was massive despite our call centre being fully staffed after we got extra staff in.’

The BBC said fans will have another chance to buy tickets when a second wave is released in late November.

Mark Cavendish leaves Team Sky for Omega Pharma

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Sky no longer the limit for Cavendish as Brit rider switches to Omega Pharma

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UPDATED:

14:11 GMT, 18 October 2012

Mark Cavendish has left Team Sky to join Belgium team Omega Pharma.

The Manx Missile has been with the Sky for just one year but grew frustrated at the team priorities, most notably their pursuit of the yellow jersey during the 2012 Tour de France.

Cavendish, one of the planet's finest sprinters, had to play a support role to eventual winner Bradley Wiggins throughout, claiming just three stages.

In total, the 27-year-old won 14 Grand Stages for the British team, the last of which came in the Tour of Britain. He also won his first general classification prize – the Ster ZLM Tour – in June.

More to follow….

End of the road: Mark Cavendish has left Team Sky after just one year

End of the road: Mark Cavendish has left Team Sky after just one year

Johan Bruyneel leaves RadioShack after Lance Armstrong scandal

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Disgraced former mentor of Armstrong leaves RadioShack after drug revelations

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UPDATED:

18:52 GMT, 12 October 2012

Johan Bruyneel, Lance Armstrong's team manager on the American's seven Tour de France wins, is quitting as RadioShack Nissan general manager by mutual agreement.

Bruyneel was named in the United States Anti-Doping Agency report released this week which said he was one of the people who had helped Armstrong organise doping within the US Postal Team.

'In light of these testimonies, both
parties feel it is necessary to make this decision since Johan Bruyneel
can no longer direct the team in an efficient and comfortable way,'
RadioShack Nissan said in a statement.

Disgraced: Armstrong (left) with Bruyneel in 2004

Disgraced: Armstrong (left) with Bruyneel in 2004

Belgian Bruyneel was Armstrong's team manager when the Texan won his seven Tours from 1999-2005 as well as during his two Tour rides in 2009 and 2010 after his comeback from a three-and-a-half year retirement.

Meanwhile, former world road race champion Mark Cavendish believes cycling is one of the cleanest sports because the cheats get found out, and says it is unfair to judge today's riders on past events.

The 27-year-old told Sky Sports News: 'The same question I always get is, “how can cycling move forward”

'Well, it is moving forward and it has been – but people won't let it.

Disgraced: Armstrong (left) with Bruyneel in 2004

'There's going to be cynics, there's going to be people with closed minds, and there's going to be stuff that comes up from the past.

'That's not fair to tarnish the riders who are doing it now with the brush they don't deserve to be tarnished with. It's a stupid, closed-minded view on it.

'Cheating happens everywhere – in every sport, in every country, in every aspect of life.'

He added: 'In my mind, I think cycling is one of the cleanest sports because it catches the cheats and throws them away.'

Philippe Gilbert climbs to victory in world road race

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No title repeat for retiring Cavendish as Gilbert climbs to victory in world road race

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UPDATED:

17:45 GMT, 23 September 2012

Belgium's Philippe Gilbert won the men's road race at the UCI Road World Championships after breaking away on the final climb of the Cauberg hill in Limberg.

The 30-year-old left rivals Edvald Boasson Hagen of Norway and Spain's Alejandro Valverde in his wake towards the end of the 267-kilometre race through Holland.

On the home straight: Philippe Gilbert crosses the finish line in Valkenburg to win the world road race title

On the home straight: Philippe Gilbert crosses the finish line in Valkenburg to win the world road race title

The Belgian team had faced an early challenge from both recent Vuelta a Espana winner Alberto Contador and France's Thomas Voeckler, but Gilbert managed to break away on the final climb.

British rider Mark Cavendish was unable to defend his title after retiring with 111km of the race remaining.

Pleased as punch: Gilbert clenches his fist following victory

Pleased as punch: Gilbert clenches his fist following victoryPleased as punch: Gilbert clenches his fist following victory

The 27-year-old sprinter had already admitted the hilly terrain was ill-suited to his personal style, in contrast to the flat roads of Copenhagen where he raced to glory last year.

Cavendish's Team Sky colleagues and Olympic medallists Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome also dropped out of the arduous race before reaching the final stages.

Away support: A Belgian fan cheers on Gilbert

Away support: A Belgian fan cheers on Gilbert

Earlier, Matej Mohoric of Slovenia claimed the men's world junior title after stunning Australia's Caleb Ewan with a sprint on the final kilometre.

He told limburg2012.nl: 'When the whole bunch arrived at the Cauberg I managed to stay in the front and still had something left. This is incredible, fantastic. I can't believe it.'

Street spirit: Supporters came out in their hundreds to cheer on participants

Street spirit: Supporters came out in their hundreds to cheer on participants

Mark Cavendish "non-existent" chance of World title repeat

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World champ Cavendish says chances of repeat title are 'non-existent'

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UPDATED:

18:59 GMT, 22 September 2012

Mark Cavendish has played down his chances of retaining his world road race title in Holland, insisting they are 'non-existent' due to the gruelling nature of the Cauberg course.

Cavendish claimed the world champion's prestigious rainbow jersey by winning last year's race over a much more favourable course in Copenhagen, but is realistic about his hopes this time around.

End of the rainbow: Mark Cavendish says there's no chance of retaining the rainbow jersey

End of the rainbow: Mark Cavendish says there's no chance of retaining the rainbow jersey

Cavendish told Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad: 'The chances of retaking my world title are non-existent. Ten times around the Cauberg is just too much for me. We have to be realistic.

'I can't win, but I'm here out of respect for the jersey and because I'll be wearing race number one. I always enjoy racing in the colours of the national team.

'The Tour means a lot to my career, but as world champion you wear the most beautiful jersey ever for a year. The rainbow stripes have something magical. All great champions have worn them.'

The Great Britain team are expected to focus on trying to push recent Tour of Britain winner Jonathan Tiernan-Locke into medal contention.

Tiernan-Locke is better suited to the course, but still inexperienced over the 267km distance.

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke clinches Tour of Britain title as Mark Cavendish wins final stage

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Tiernan-Locke clinches Tour of Britain title as Cavendish wins final stage

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UPDATED:

16:08 GMT, 16 September 2012

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke held off his nearest challengers to become the first home rider to win the Tour of Britain for 19 years.

The 27-year-old Devonian had led Austrian Nathan Haas by 18 seconds and Italian Damiano Caruso by 23 seconds heading into Sunday's final stage in Surrey.

Making history: Tiernan-Locke became the first home rider to win the Tour of Britain for 19 years

Making history: Tiernan-Locke became the first home rider to win the Tour of Britain for 19 years

Making history: Tiernan-Locke became the first home rider to win the Tour of Britain for 19 years

Making history: Tiernan-Locke became the first home rider to win the Tour of Britain for 19 years

Tiernan-Locke was able to finish in the
main bunch to clinch victory as Mark Cavendish sprinted home in
Guildford to win his third stage of this year's race.

Fellow Brits Peter Williams and Kristian House won the sprint and king of the mountains jerseys respectively.

Williams, won the stage's three intermediate sprints to pick up nine points and finish on 45, almost double the amount of the second-placed rider, his Node 4 Giordana team-mate Marcin Bialoblocki.

Manx missile: Cavendish is cheered on by the locals as he sprints home

Manx missile: Cavendish is cheered on by the locals as he sprints home

Manx missile: Cavendish is cheered on by the locals as he sprints home

Sports Personality of the Year award faces BBC changes

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BBC to shake-up Sports Personality process after public outcry last year

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UPDATED:

12:32 GMT, 12 September 2012

The BBC will announce changes to their Sports Personality of the Year awards process later this month following last year's outcry at no women being included on the ten-strong shortlist.

Changes are expected to be made to the shortlisting panel and it appears unlikely that 'lads mags' Nuts and Zoo will retain their votes.

Other changes are also likely, possibly expanding the number of sports stars on the shortlist and having a panel of experts to then reduce the size of the list ahead of a public vote.

Honour: Mark Cavendish with the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award last year

Honour: Mark Cavendish with the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award last year

TODAY'S POLL

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It follows a lengthy review of the process announced last November after Earlier, a group of women MPs wrote to the BBC director general, Mark Thompson, complaining that this year's shortlist undermined efforts to encourage female participation in sport.

A BBC spokeswoman insisted the changes would not be dramatic, saying: 'It will be evolution rather than revolution.'

That means there will be no move towards having a separate award for men and women – there have been three female winners in the last 10 years – nor of giving the Paralympics any special status, both of which changes have been suggested.

This year's awards will be held at the ExCeL centre in London on December 16 – the BBC want to reflect the importance of the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012 and it was one of the major venues for the Games.

Tough choice: This year's shortlist for the Sports Personality award will be one of the strongest ever. (From left) Sir Chris Hoy, Andy Murray, Bradley Wiggins, Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis and Rory McIlroy are likely to feature

Tough choice: This year's shortlist for the Sports Personality award will be one of the strongest ever. (From left) Sir Chris Hoy, Andy Murray, Bradley Wiggins, Mo Farah, Jessica Ennis and Rory McIlroy are likely to feature

Bookmakers rate cyclist Bradley Wiggins the favourite ahead of Andy Murray, Mo Farah and Jessica Ennis.

Wiggins won the Tour de France and Olympic gold, while Murray has come into contention after his equally historic US Open victory to go alongside his Olympic gold and silver.

Farah and Ennis are ranked as the most likely candidates from the rest of Britain's Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish to ride Post Danmark Rundt

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Olympics hero Wiggins set for saddle return alongside Cavendish in Denmark

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UPDATED:

10:44 GMT, 13 August 2012

Tour de France winner and Olympic time-trial champion Bradley Wiggins will return to action for Team Sky at this month's Post Danmark Rundt.

Wiggins will be joined in the team by Mark Cavendish, who suffered Olympic road race disappointment just days after rounding off his own Tour de France with his 23rd stage win in cycling's blue-riband event.

Back in the saddle: Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins will compete in Denmark

Back in the saddle: Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins will compete in Denmark

National hero: Wiggins won gold in the men's time trial at the Games

National hero: Wiggins won gold in the men's time trial at the Games

The 27-year-old's future with Team Sky is uncertain after team principal Dave Brailsford admitted he would allow the sprinter to move on if Cavendish felt the team's general classification aspirations affected his chances of stage victories.

Geraint Thomas and Peter Kennaugh are also in the eight-man team for the Danish event which begins on August 22, following their stunning team pursuit victory at the Olympics.

Looking on: Mark Cavendish will join Wiggins in Denmark for Team Sky

Looking on: Mark Cavendish will join Wiggins in Denmark for Team Sky