Cavendish signs off with a win as Giro heads for hills

Britain’s Mark Cavendish bade farewell to this year’s Tour of Italy by sprinting to his second stage win yesterday as Spaniard Alberto Contador retained the overall leader’s pink jersey.

The HTC-Highroad rider won the 12th stage over relatively flat terrain from Castelfidardo to Ravenna ahead of Italian duo Davide Appollonio and Alessandro Petacchi.

It was the last stage for the 25-year-old sprint ace in this year’s race as he announced he was withdrawing before it heads to the mountains.

“I’m going home to recuperate before the Tour de France,” explained Cavendish, who was accused of cheating by fellow riders who claimed he was towed up Mount Etna on the back of a car in Sunday’s stage.

But the Briton went on to win Tuesday and yesterday’s stages before withdrawing citing the lack of possibilities for sprinters before the end of the Giro on May 29 in Milan.

The HTC team, led by Australian Mark Renshaw controlled the stage, which was hampered by a pile-up of riders 1500 metres from the line.

The Giro is set for three days in the mountains with today’s 13th stage over 167km from Spilimbergo, northeast of Venice, to Grossglockner, Austria’s highest mountain.