Mark Cavendish believes he is still the fastest sprinter in the world
By Matt Westby in Abu Dhabi
Last Updated: 21/10/16 7:33pm
Mark Cavendish believes he is still the fastest sprinter in the world and has never been dethroned.
The 31-year-old Manxman claimed his eighth sprint win of the season by beating Elia Viviani into second place on stage two of the Abu Dhabi Tour on Friday.
Four of his wins in 2016 came at the Tour of France, where he regularly defeated the rider many felt had replaced him as the quickest man on the planet, Germany's Marcel Kittel.
When asked after his win in Abu Dhabi if he was the king of sprints, Cavendish said: "I believe so. I didn't believe I wasn't before, to be fair, otherwise I would be at home polishing my bike."
Kittel, Andre Greipel, Nacer Bouhanni, Alexander Kristoff and Dylan Groenewegen all have more sprint wins than Cavendish this season.
However, after his defeat to the Briton, Viviani was in little doubt as to who is the best.
He said: "Unfortunately, Cavendish is back as the best sprinter in the world and it's always dangerous when he is on your wheel."
