There are so many facets of cycling, and Pro Cycling, that Mongo enjoys. One of the most exciting and poetic is the field sprint. Whether it's a great individual effort or a perfectly executed team lead-out, it is one of the most thrilling moments in all of sports.
At nearly 40 mph, athlete and machine are on the edge of both disaster and glory...and it can switch from one to the other in the blink of an eye. Watching Team Columbia-HTC-LMNOP lead Mark Cavendish to victory today in Stage 2 was a sight to see.
From about 5k in, Columbia controlled the peloton... and when it got under 1000 m, "Slappy" Hincapie turned on the jets. At about 300m, Mark Renshaw took over and led Cavendish out for what was to be an easy victory. It was beautiful to watch.
It just so happens that the sprint coach for Columbia is none other than Erik Zabel. He knows how to diagram a lead-out. Back in the day, he and Milram basically invented the technique.
(Photo:VeloNews)
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