Team HTC-Columbia's Mark Cavendish powered to his second straight stage win in the 2010 Vuelta a Espana earlier today ahead of Cervelo TestTeam's Thor Hushovd. In stage 13 from Rincon de Soto to Burgos, Cavendish was once again the first to the line. He said HTC-Columbia teammate Matt Goss, who led the sprinter out for a second day running, played a major part in his twenty-second Grand Tour stage victory.

"Matt was going so fast, I was struggling to stay on his wheel at times," Cavendish said after the finish "He divebombed down the side of the bunch and got me into the perfect position. Normally I'd go with 250 metres to go, but I had to hold it until 170 metres this time. Hopefully he'll get a stage win as well before the race ends."

Cavendish paid tribute to his Vuelta teammates in general, saying "they're young, but they're really dedicated and concentrated.  I'm really proud of the work they're doing here and I can't thank them enough."

Team HTC-Columbia's Mark Cavendish celebrates his 2nd Vuelta stage win on the podium in Burgos. Photo copyright Fotoreporter Sirotti.

Cavendish singled out Hayden Roulston, his teammate who abandoned today, saying "We were sad to lose him, and I hope he gets better soon."  Asked about his jump across the line, Cavendish said "I just like to do stuff like that and I'm sure one of our partners will be able to use that.  I work with a great group of partners and suppliers and it's nice to be able to give them something back."

Team Euskaltel-Euskadi cyclist Anton maintained his 45-second advantage over Vincenzo Nibali of Italy in the Spanish classic. His overall time is 56:28:03.

The 14th stage Saturday is from Burgos to Pena Cabarga and includes three mountain climbs.

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