In the summer of 2021, something clicked for me that had taken me over a decade to figure out. It happened while I was watching the Tour de France—a phenomenal race during an exceptionally strange year for innumerable reasons. Of the many extraordinary performances seen in this 108th edition of the Tour, few could match the spectacular return of Mark Cavendish. After a several year hiatus from winning Pro Tour races and 12 months after a near career-ending contract fallout, the “Manx Missile” won 4 sprint stages, tying Eddy Merckx’s overall TdF stage win record, and claimed the overall points jersey at the ripe old age of 36. It was not Mark Cavendish to whom I owe my revelation, however. It is to another veteran sprinter: Peter Sagan.

In the summer of 2021, something clicked for me that had taken me over a decade to figure out. It happened while I was watching the Tour de France—a phenomenal race during an exceptionally strange year for innumerable reasons. Of the many extraordinary performances seen in this 108th edition of the Tour, few could match the spectacular return of Mark Cavendish. After a several year hiatus from winning Pro Tour races and 12 months after a near career-ending contract fallout, the “Manx Missile” won 4 sprint stages, tying Eddy Merckx’s overall TdF stage win record, and claimed the overall points jersey at the ripe old age of 36. It was not Mark Cavendish to whom I owe my revelation, however. It is to another veteran sprinter: Peter Sagan.

In the summer of 2021, something clicked for me that had taken me over a decade to figure out. It happened while I was watching the Tour de France—a phenomenal race during an exceptionally strange year for innumerable reasons. Of the many extraordinary performances seen in this 108th edition of the Tour, few could match the spectacular return of Mark Cavendish. After a several year hiatus from winning Pro Tour races and 12 months after a near career-ending contract fallout, the “Manx Missile” won 4 sprint stages, tying Eddy Merckx’s overall TdF stage win record, and claimed the overall points jersey at the ripe old age of 36. It was not Mark Cavendish to whom I owe my revelation, however. It is to another veteran sprinter: Peter Sagan.