Columbia-Highroad’s Mark Cavendish remains in overall control of the GIro d'Italia despite losing stage two’s bunch sprint to Italy’s Alessandro Petacchi.

“I'm happy to have kept the pink jersey but Petacchi was stronger than me. I shook his hand because he's a great rider and did a great sprint today,” Cavendish said afterwards.

“My team got me into the perfect position and normally I go for it earlier. But  if Petacchi gets ahead of you, then you’re not going to get back.”

“He did a perfect sprint. The team was perfect,  the guys rode all day to keep me up there, and everything went well, except for me!”

“I didn’t sense anyone in the sprint behind me, because if you do, you accelerate.”

“With an ego like mine, to lose is damging to my pride, but losing to Alessandro isn’t such a bad thing.”

“Of course it’s a consolation having the pink jersey, but that was going to happen anyway.”

“Alessandro Petacchi has shown he's back,” added team manager Bob Stapleton.  “Mark waited and hoped to jump him at the finish but he just didn't get there.”

“To win with the jersey would have been amazing. Mark was well positioned on the last lap and rode a smart race. But sprinters always want to win and that's why Mark wasn't that happy.

“Every time the team works for Mark, he always wants to win and feel he needs to win. A lot of the time he does, he pays the team back for their work.”

Cavendish should have another opportunity to go for his ninth victory of the season on Monday’s 198 kilometre stage of the Tour of Italy, running from Grado to Valdobbiadene.

“I hope it’s a sprint again, we’ll do what we can to sprint again, so that I can make amends for today,” Cavendish conlcuded