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Mark Cavendish's two defeats at the Tour de San Luis were eye-catching but nothing to worry about

Fernando Gavira wins Stage 1 of the 2015 Tour de San Luis from Mark Cavendish and Sacha Modolo

The most eye-catching results of the opening week of the season were undoubtedly Mark Cavendish’s two surprise defeats to the young Colombian Fernando Gaviria at the Tour de San Luis in Argentina.

On paper, losing to a 20-year-old with virtually no pedigree on the road doesn’t look good and raises inevitable questions about what sort of season Mark might have, but I honestly think they were nothing to worry about.

Mark has had eight years as a pro and in a good majority of those years, particularly since he started winning stages of the Tour de France, he has been written off at some point, usually at the start of the season.

There have been fears about his weight and form and whether he will ever be able to win the biggest races again, but every time he has proved the doubters wrong and gone on to have a good season. This year will be no different.

Without being disrespectful to the Tour de San Luis, because I think it’s a good race, you cannot compare it with the classics and the grand tours, which is what Mark is aiming for.

Fernando Gaviria wins Stage 3 of the 2015 Tour de San Luis from Mark Cavendish and Sacha Modolo
Image: Fernando Gaviria celebrated his second win over Mark Cavendish, right, on stage three

When he is on the big stage and the going starts to get tough, that is when the experience and speed of Mark will shine through. When we’re at the end of Milan-San Remo after 290km, that is when we will see Mark at his best.

I don’t think it’s a question of lacking motivation early in the year, because a guy like that is always highly motivated and will be keen to get that first win of the season to settle himself down and give himself some confidence, which he obviously did on the final stage.

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Mark’s problem is that he is there to be shot at by up-and-coming sprinters and it’s easier for a youngster like Marcel Kittel a couple of years ago to come along with no pressure and beat Mark than it is for Mark to keep winning over and over again. Staying at the top is often harder than getting there in the first place.

One rider who hasn’t struggled for early-season form is Rohan Dennis, who won the Tour Down Under impressively ahead of Richie Porte.

The fact that he also defeated Cadel Evans triggers speculation about whether he can succeed Cadel as Australia’s No 1 rider in stage races, and possibly even grand tours, in the future. It’s an interesting debate.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 25:  Australian cyclist and race winner, Rohan Dennis of the BMC Racing team celebrates with his trophy after Stage 6 of the
Image: Rohan Dennis' win at the Tour Down Under raised questions about what the 24-year-old can go on to achieve

His background is on the track and in pursuiting, which we know is a very good base stage-race riders, no better example of which is Sir Bradley Wiggins.

Dennis can obviously time trial very well as a result of that, but he has also shown that he can climb, too. He won one of the hilly stages at the Tour Down Under and finished second behind Porte in the other.

Also think back to the Tour of California last year, when he won a summit finish on Mount Diablo ahead of riders like Wiggins, Tiago Machado and Colombian climbing specialists Johan Esteban Chaves and Janier Acevedo. That was an impressive win.

He is only 24 years old, so he has his best years ahead of him, and I also like his style, but I would be wary of talking him up as “the next Cadel” or Australia’s next Tour de France winner just yet. That’s a big mantle and the truth is, it’s probably too early to tell.

He still has a lot to learn and has a long way to go before he is at the level of Tour winners such as Chris Froome or Alberto Contador, but he is definitely one to watch and it will be interesting to see him develop.

Richie Porte attacks to win stage five of the 2015 Tour Down Under
Image: Richie Porte was in impressive form at the Tour Down Under

Just as impressive as Dennis at the Tour Down Under was Porte, who won the queen stage on Willunga Hill and missed out on overall victory by only two seconds.

Having also won the Australian national time trial title earlier this month, it has been a great start to the season for the Team Sky rider and an ideal beginning to his build-up for the Giro d’Italia.

However, it hasn’t changed my mind that he will struggle to beat Alberto Contador in a one-to-one battle at the Giro.

Porte is a really strong rider over seven or eight days, but I’m not convinced he can be a winner over three weeks.

He is definitely a podium contender at the Giro, but defeating Contador will be very difficult for him.

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