Mark Cavendish – “It does come pretty easily...”

“It was dangerous at the finish. It was quite hard to stay in position. There were guys fighting to stay up front. As soon as my team picked up to line the peloton out it made things a little less hectic.
“I just watched the sprint again while I was waiting to go on the podium. It’s impressive work from my team. When George goes he just strings the peloton out and it frees things up a little. We had some of the best guys in the world riding hard and keeping the pace hard for the last five kilometers. To have Michael Rogers – a three-time world champion – up there and Tony Martin who’s also an amazing rider… these guys were keeping the pace high. Then when Mark (Renshaw) goes, all I’ve got to do is carry on at the same speed and I’m able to do that. So it does come pretty easily.
“I didn’t think it would be quite as simple as what it turned out to be. It was a hard day but I felt good. It usually takes me a few days to open up but I was okay today. It shows how committed we were as a team. Saxo Bank rode well all day today to keep the break within a reasonable distance but for the majority of the time we were the only sprint team working to break the escape back. Cervelo came up with one rider in the end but we had nine guys at the front of the peloton in the last part of the stage and it shows we mean business.
“The green jersey has been a big target for me. I’m wearing it now and… well, okay, I’ve been a pro for three years but this is all I’ve wanted since turning pro. For sure I want to keep it; I’ve made a good debut at the Tour and I want to hold onto the jersey. It was a hard, hot day today and hopefully it won’t get too much hotter.”