Mark Cavendish almost got eliminated on Saturday's incredibly mountainous stage of the Tour de France. Featuring a brutal mountain top finish up Plateau de Beille, his team ushered him back from elimination of a time cut. He repaid the favor by winning his fourth stage of this year's Tour de France while retaining and increasing his lead in the sprint points jersey competition.
While Europcar's Thomas Voeckler retained the yellow leader's jersey for a seventh consecutive day, his team took the day off. At the mid-way point of the race, after his team had been setting the pace to limit a five-man break away, he went to the front and called them off, letting the sprinter's team take up the charge if they wished. Only HTC-Highroad was up for the task. Led by American Danny Pate of Colorado Springs, all HTC teammates cued up and hunted down the break. In a finish later defined as dangerous by the likes of Cavendish and American Tyler Farrar, the final run up was fast and furious.
At the finish line, Cavendish came around teammate Mark Renshaw with J.J. Rojas of Movistar, Farrar, and Lampre's Allesandro Petacchi chasing. Now one could match the acceleration as the green jersey clad Cavendish flung his hands in the air for his 19th career win at the Tour de France.
The peloton takes a much needed day off Monday as the race resumes Tuesday in what should be a tightly contested run through the Alps and the finish in Paris next Sunday.
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