Forget the record, Cav’s daughter wants the flowers

PARIS: Mark Cavendish revealed at Tuesday’s Tour de France 2018 route presentation that his bid to reach Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 stage wins comes second to the flowers winners get on the podium, at least for his daughter.

Cavendish has 30 Tour de France stage wins and makes no bones about his ambition to one day pass Merckx, but for his daughter Delilah Grace it’s all about the flowers.

Cavendish was filmed with the five-year-old on his lap answering a question over what the Tour de France meant to him, from career-defining stage wins to glory and peak moments.“None of that for her, she just wants the flowers,” said Cavendish.

The 32-year-old was realistic over his chances of bridging the echelon, to use a cycling term, between himself and the legendary Belgian this time around.

“There are plenty of sprint stages in the first week,” said Cavendish, who suffered a fractured collarbone in a bunch finish in stage 4 this year when he fell after being elbowed by Peter Sagan, who was disqualified over the incident.  —