2023 Giro d’Italia Stage 21: Cavendish wins in Rome
Mark Cavendish secured the 54th Grand Tour stage win of his career in the final stage of the 2023 Giro d’Italia, as Primož Roglič added a maglia rosa to his three Vuelta a España victories for his fourth Grand Tour.
Cavendish benefited from a leadout by general classification second-placer and long-time friend Geraint Thomas for the win, the Welshman 14 seconds away from overall victory after dropping time on the previous stage.
With retirement looming for the decorated 38-year-old sprinter, while he is unlikely to catch Eddy Merckx’s record of 63 career Grand Tour stage wins, overtaking Mario Cipollini’s 57 is not out of the question before his end-of-year-retirement.
Both Merckx and Cavendish have 34 victories at the Tour de France, and it is the chance to break Merckx’s record that was a key factor in Cavendish carrying on into 2023, signing a one-year contract with Astana Qazaqstan.
Starting and finishing in Rome, Stage 21 was to be an out-and-out sprinter’s stage, a flat 126 kilometres making it the second-shortest of the 2023 Giro after a weather-shortened Stage 13.
It was Jumbo-Visma who led early on, Rohan Dennis sat on the front of the peloton in his final season as a professional as they cruised around Italy’s capital.
A break to the steady rhythm came with just under 70 kilometres remaining, Maxime Bouet of Arkéa Samsic striking out, followed by both 2019 Giro stage winner Cesare Benedetti and Trek-Segafredo’s Toms Skujiņš, five times a top 10 finisher this Giro.
With Jumbo-Visma content to let the move go, no sprinters to speak of in their squad, Movistar took up the work in the peloton with the hope of bringing things back together for their fast man Fernando Gaviria, still searching for his first Grand Tour stage win since 2019’s Giro.
A chase from Martin Marcellusi of Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè and Diego Pablo Sevilla of EOLO-Kometa found itself in no-man’s land between the break and the peloton, hanging between the two for some time before being swallowed up with 60 kilometres to go.
The gap to the trio up top stretched to beyond half a minute at points, Skujiņš leading them through the an uncontested intermediate sprint at 54 kilometres to go, intermediate sprints classification leader Derek Gee fighting behind in the peloton and losing out to Alex Kirsch as he won only four points for fifth place.
The peloton were happy to let the breakaway riders sit off the front, and the gap stayed consistent as Skujiņš, Bouet, and Benedetti with just over 40 kilometres and three laps of the finishing circuit remaining.
As the race neared the second intermediate sprint at 27 kilometres to go, an acceleration behind saw the gap shrink to 20 seconds, as once again Skujiņš took the maximum 12 points to seal his victory in the intermediate sprints classification by eight points over fan favourite Gee.
With the intermediate sprints wrapped up, and no anticipation of the stage victory, the gap further closed as the break eased, and Magnus Cort seized the opportunity to bridge across to the slowing trio with 15 kilometres remaining.
A winner on Stage 10, sprinting to victory ahead of Gee, the EF Education-EasyPost rider might have been looking to add a tenth Grand Tour stage win to his palmarès but the move was over as soon as it started, swallowed up by the onrushing peloton.
It was INEOS Grenadiers pulling on the front of the peloton with eight kilometres outstanding, Ben Swift taking a long turn as his squad and that of Jumbo-Visma looked to bring home their general classification contenders safely, but as they passed the five kilometres to go banner, the first dangerous attack came.
Gee, in the colours of Israel-Premier Tech, powered off the front of the race, pursued by a rider from EOLO-Kometa, as he made a last-ditch effort for the stage win that had eluded him thus far, finishing second on a remarkable four stages this Giro.
A gap formed, but failed to expand, as Geraint Thomas sat in second wheel behind a teammate, calmly marshalling the attempted escapees.
Reeled in with 3.2 kilometres remaining, Gee would not be seen again on the stage, as responsibility was handed off from the general classification teams to those with sprinters in their ranks, Movistar swarming the head of the field.
With Movistar still leading at 2.3 kilometres to go, the television cameras showed Mark Cavendish well-positioned, white British champion’s jersey parked behind the tall figure of Luis León Sánchez, his sole leadout man.
Noticing his fellow Brit’s lack of support, Geraint Thomas, his second place in the general classification now safe, gestured to the Astana Qazaqstan pair to follow his wheel, as he took on the work of bringing the Manx sprinter towards the line.
With just over 1200 metres left in the race Thomas pulled off, his work complete, and Cavendish adjusted his positioning, finding the wheel of Jonathan Milan, the points classification leader, as the peloton passed the flamme rouge.
500 metres to go, and Andrea Pasqualon, Milan’s Bahrain-Victorious teammate, led the way, Jake Stewart of Groupama – FDJ glued to his wheel.
Back of that pair was Milan and then Cavendish, as Gaviria struck out on the right-hand side in the deep blue of Movistar.
As Gaviria opened his legs with still more than 300 metres left, Cavendish followed the Colombian’s wheel, coming round the 28-year-old with just over 150 metres remaining to strike away from the field, the Brit able to sit up short of the line as he claimed the 17th Giro stage win of his career.
Following Cavendish across the line was Alex Kirsch of Trek-Segafredo, the big man powering home from some way out, as Filippo Fiorelli finished third, a deft navigation of the final 200 metres giving him a second ever podium at his home Grand Tour.
The win made Cavendish the oldest winner of a Giro stage, at 38 years and seven days, overtaking Paolo Tiralongo (37 years, 313 days).
Fist clenched as he crossed the line, ensuring he retires a stage winner at each of the seven Giro d’Italia he has contested, Cavendish and Thomas embraced beyond the finish, the Welshman telling Eurosport his thought process in the final few kilometres.
He said: “I was just there, and I saw that he only had Luis León with him, and I thought, ‘help a brother out.'”
Cavendish was overjoyed with the victory, and was visibly emotional when talking to the press after the race.
He said: “I’m super happy. It was a long slog to get here.
“To win here in Rome, it’s beautiful. That’s a bucket list sprint to be able to do, outside the Colosseum. I’m so happy.”
