Cav hits the 100 mark; Wiggins sheds another three minutes

It was an up and down kind of day for British cycling at the Giro. Mark Cavendish, the finest sprinter in the history of the sport, won his 100th professional race in what is just his seventh season as a professional and the age of 27. Cavendish has rarely had it easier in the sprint itself, though he was left sweating it as the days break was only reeled in about 400 metres from the line.

The moment they got swept up, Cavendish burst around his leadout man Geert Steegmans and crossed the line at least a couple of bike lengths ahead of the nearest finisher, Nacer Bouhanni. It's the Omega Pharma-Quick Step riders' third stage victory at the Giro thus far.

"We came here wanting to win every sprint, and so far, we’ve done it convincingly, leading the peloton from start to finish," beamed Cavendish at the finish.



The downside for British cycling was that Bradley Wiggins -- reigning Tour de France champion and pre-Giro favourite -- had finished more than three minutes back in a large group that had been distanced during another wet, dangerous descent. Wiggins who is believed to be suffering from a chest infection and trying to gut it out and see it off before the big mountains this weekend has now slipped back to 13th overall, 5 minutes and 22 seconds behind Vincenzo Nibali.

If Wiggins still feels miserable tonight and if there is no upturn in the weather, with that kind of a gap now in place to Nibali his team will have to think very seriously as to whether they keep Wiggins in the Giro or whether they pull him out for the good of his health and allow him to refocus his attentions on July's Tour de France. Something that might be very interesting given that Sky have tended to lean towards Chris Froome as their Tour leader in the understanding that Wiggins would be targeting the Giro. Wiggins has said many times that he would be going for both despite Froome's objections, but if his contention in this Giro truly is on the ropes then this might heighten the tensions between Froome and Wiggins more.

Not good for Team Sky you could argue, but great for the viewing public.