Tour de Yorkshire: Mark Cavendish proves upright citizen on return to mother’s home town of Harrogate

Team Katusha Alpecin's Rik Zabel wins the sprint finish to claim victory in stage two of the Tour de Yorkshire from Barnsley to Bedale (Picture: Bruce Rollinson).

Five years ago Cavendish crashed face first into advertising hoardings 500m from the end of a hectic finale to the opening stage of the Tour de France on Parliament Street.

His return was not so dramatic, but at least he stayed upright, delighting the fans packed around the loop in his mother’s home town that later this year will stage the finale to the UCI Road World Championships’ elite races.

“It was mint,” said Cavendish. “I thought it would be nice to try to see my family.”

Whether Cavendish can compete to win back the title he last claimed in 2011 could come down to how he continues his recovery from a long-term illness.

He admitted afterwards that he “bottled it”, although whether or not Team Katusha’s Rick Zabel would have relented even had Cavendish given him his best on the sprint is open to debate.

It was a dramatic return to form for the four World Tour teams in attendance, after a breakaway of second-tier teams had outlasted them on day one into Selby. Two Yorkshiremen hoped to replicate that as they got involved in the six-man break from Barnsley on day two. Doncaster’s Tom Stewart of Canyon DHB was joined by Holmfirth’s Jake Scott and both made the most of their time in the spotlight. Stewart’s prominence at the head of the race meant he spent much of the afternoon as the race’s virtual leader.

“It wasn’t the plan to get in the break, but I was off the front so thought, ‘why not?’,” said Stewart.

“You’ve got to roll the dice to win. For everyone in the breakaway part of you believes it can happen. It happens enough to whet your appetite.”

Scott sprinted to the second intermediate stage victory on the world championship loop in Harrogate to earn the public’s vote for the most combatitive rider.

“It was nice getting the sprint victory on the Harrogate test event, even if it’s the only taste of that course I’ll get,” said the 23-year-old. “It’s nice being a Yorkshire lad having the combative jersey.”