Brit cyclist Cavendish says Olympic race biggest of his life

London: Britain’s cycling hero Mark Cavendish has claimed the men’s 250km road race on Saturday is going to be the biggest race of his life.

The Team GB star is the favourite to win the first gold medal of the Games when the men’s 250km road race gets underway at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Cavendish also expressed hope that his fellow riders can deliver him to within 200m of the line at Buckingham Palace so he can put in a blistering sprint finish. “If it comes to a sprint finish no one will beat me. This is the biggest race of my life, emotionally at least,” Cavendish won the final stage of the Tour de France in Paris for the fourth year in a row last Sunday. Fellow Team GB and Team Sky rider Bradley Wiggins won the Yellow Jersey for the fastest overall time in the three-week race. “In my mind July is one long race. I’ve been training every day since Sunday keeping myself moving. In France the whole of Team GB was riding to get Bradley the Yellow Jersey. That was our objective,” Cavendish said. “On Sunday Brad will be a crucial member of the team riding for me to get the sprint finish. Cycling is a fascinating sport in that respect — there is no one person who can claim to be the best at everything,” he added. “Team work is crucial if we are to get the best result. In the week after the Tour de France I usually sleep 15 hours a day because I’m so knackered. But this week I’ve been fine and eight hours has been enough,” he said. (ANI)