Bos rules Cavendish in Oman.

/, Mark Cavendish, Rabobank/Bos rules Cavendish in Oman.

Bos rules Cavendish in Oman.

Bos. A huge win by inches.

Bos lands on feet in Oman.

When Cervelo-Test team merged with the argyle diamond gang at Garmin, Theo Bos was one of the riders left hanging. The Dutch rider went straight home to Rabobank where’d he ridden before.

A wise move on his part and Rabobank for throwing him the life preserver. Bos just re-paid the team with a fantastic win over Mark Cavendish in stage one of the Tour of Oman. Also staring at the back of Bos’ jersey were Roger Kluge (Skil-Shimano) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky).

Not many sprinters beat Cavendish and even fewer can say the Brit simply wasn’t fast enough to come off his wheel. But that’s exactly what happened in the 158k stage from Sawadi to Al Seeb.

“I got to the front with about 150 metres to go and I was surprised that I could stay out front. I saw one rider coming up and realized it was Cavendish. But I’m really happy I was able to hold on to the finish line and win,” said Bos. It was a dramatic throw of the bikes but Bos took it by inches. Bos racer beats Boy Racer.

For his efforts, the former track cyclist pulls on the red jersey of race leader of the Big O, Sinbad the Sailor’s favorite stage race. Stay awake because the Manxman is only four seconds back and fuming about a lost opportunity — which he blamed on a spectator, bad road signage and dogs.

“Every one was fresh and so you’ve got every man and his dog sprinting,” said Cav. “I threw my bike at the line but I just couldn’t get to him (Bos). If I’d been able to start my sprint earlier, then maybe I could have won or maybe I would have blown. Who knows?” Yup, who does know?

Break of the day honors went to the trio of Pieter Serry (Topsport Vlaanderen), Tanel Kangert (Astana) and Britain’s Mark McNally (An Post Sean Kelly). After 5ok of racing across the barren landscape, they had a 4:55 gap. At 10k it was zero and they watched the final sprint from the back seats.

The final kilometer featured a strong tailwind and a roundabout that demanded attention and good positioning. Team Leopard-Trek tried to control events but it was Rabobank who mastered the run-in, with Graeme Brown bringing Bos home in first. A sweet win on the road for former Olympic silver medalist and five-time track world champion.

“It’s a huge satisfaction to win. It’s a very nice step up in my career. Now I hope I can stay at this level and continue to compete against the best sprinters in the world,” said Bos.

Theo Bos — proof that if you keep pedaling fast, good things happen.




By |2019-02-03T16:21:26-08:00February 15th, 2011|HTC-Highroad, Mark Cavendish, Rabobank|0 Comments

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