Cycling: Mark Cavendish turns on team after defeat

Mark Cavendish retained the lead after two days of the Tirreno-Adriatico, but rounded on his Omega Pharma-Quick Step team mates for failing to guide him to a second stage win.

Cavendish finished fifth as Orica-GreenEdge’s Matthew Goss took the victory after sprinting to beat Manuel Belletti over the last 30 metres of the 232-kilometre (145 miles) flat route from San Vincenzo to Indicatore, with Gerald Ciolek finishing third.

However, when Cavendish, winner of the opening stage, was expected to challenge, he found his path blocked when it mattered the most. The Manxman suggested there may need to be a tactical rethink in the team.

“I don’t know, really … I should have been in the front and I come into a bunch of chaos,” he said.  “We come into the last kilometre in 30th position. I’m pretty disappointed in those last guys today, actually. I had a lot of ground to make up.

“I’m quite disappointed with my leadout today. It’s not often that I say that, but I think we’ll have to have words tonight.”

Roberto Ferrari took fourth ahead of Cavendish but the British rider still has a two-second advantage over team-mate Michal Kwiatkowski, with another Omega rider, Niki Terpstra in third, a second further back.

On a wet and windy day the Cannondale team looked to be in control and it was their man Peter Sagan who made the first move for the line with 500m to go. Ciolek followed and then Goss, who timed his sprint perfectly to take a first win of the season.

Team Sky’s Chris Froome finished the stage in 92nd place. He is in 40th position in the classification.