Mark Cavendish sprinted to a superb victory in the Tour of Hungary on Thursday afternoon.
The Manx Missile clinched his second win of the season with a trademark sprint to the line at the end of stage two from Tokaj to Kazincbarcika.
Riding for Astana Qazaqstan, Cav was expertly delivered to the finishline by his team-mates, with Michael Morkov timing his leadout to perfection in the final 150 metres of the stage.
From there, the Manxman rolled back the years as he launched a blistering attack and held off the challenge of Dutchamn Dylan Groenewegen to claim victory on the line.
The win was a timely boost for Cav who is seeking to build up some form ahead of next month’s Tour de France where he is aiming to claim a record-breaking 35th stage victory in the sport’s biggest race of all.
The Tour of Hungary continues with a mountain stage on Friday, then Saturday’s route favours another potential bunch sprint finish before Sunday final stage has an uphill finish.