Britain's Cavendish ends dry patch with Tour of Turkey stage win
Belgian side Deceuninck-Quick-Step's British rider Mark Cavendish (R) nears the finish line to win the second stage of the 56th Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey, Konya, central Turkey, April 12, 2021.


British rider Mark Cavendish ended a three-year dry spell as he won the 56th Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey second stage, a 144.9-kilometer ride around central Turkey's Konya on Monday.

Cavendish, back with Deceuninck-Quick Step six years after leaving the Belgian outfit, outsprinted Belgian Jasper Philipsen to raise his arms in celebration for the first time since winning the third stage of the Dubai Tour in February 2018.

The 35-year-old, who was pondering retirement last season, had joined Dimension Data in 2016 before spending a season at Bahrain-McLaren.

Cavendish, who has won 30 stages on the Tour de France and is considered one of the best sprinters in the event's history, also won the 2011 world championship road race.

He has been omitted from his team's Tour de France roster in the last two years.