Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka emerged unscathed from a big crash to earn themselves a top-10 spot via Mark Cavendish on day two of the Tour de France on Sunday.
Cavendish, in the team after a lengthy recovery from a virus, got himself a fourth place in the sprint for the line on the 203.5 kilometre ride from Dusseldorf to Liege as the race crossed from Germany into Belgium.
Saturday’s start to the world’s most prestigious cycle race was an individual time trial.
Early in Sunday’s stage, the peloton let four riders get away to establish the obligatory early breakaway. Taylor Phinney (Cannondale-Drapac), Thomas Boudat (Direct Energie), Yoann Offredo (Wanty-Gobert) and Laurent Pichon (Fortuneo-Oscaro) quickly got a gap of three minutes on the pack.
However, the teams of the sprinters made sure to keep the break within reach. Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka’s Jaco Venter put in an incredible effort, helping to set the pace for the majority of the day, and as the riders took on the final 50km, the gap was already down to under two minutes.
A huge crash occurred at the front of the peloton, with 30km left to go as the race entered a roundabout, but luckily everybody was able to get back on the bike and continue.
But the momentary hold-up in the pack meant that the breakaway suddenly gained momentum again. Even though only Phinney and Offredo remained at the front, the pack still struggled to reel in the duo. Only in the final kilometre of the stage did it all came back together again.
Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka did well to set up Cavendish, and in the chaotic bunch sprint, the Manxman impressed by finishing in fourth place as Marcel Kittel (Quick Step Floors) took the win. Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) kept the yellow jersey, while Edvald Boasson Hagen is still the team’s best-placed rider in ninth position overall.
Afterwards Cavendish Tweeted: ‘4th today. In a @LeTour stage after 7weeks on the bike! Very happy with that! So proud most of @TeamDiData committed to me. Thanks guys!’
In the team stakes, Dimension Data are 14th of 22 outfits, 2min 02sec behind Team Sky.
Monday’s third stage is a 212.5km ride from Verviers to Longwy, and visits three countries – the start is in Belgium, riders then drift through Luxembourg, before finishing in France.
The stage features five categorised climbs, the hardest of which is just after halfway, and there’s a nice sting in the tail with a 1.6km pull to the line at the Longwy Citadel.