It was supposed to be yet another triumphant day but finished as an exercise in dissatisfaction for Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) at the 101st edition of the Scheldeprijs. The Brit fell just short of claiming a record-breaking fourth win at the finish in Schoten and the winner's diamond, finishing a narrow runner-up to back-to-back champion Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano).

Cavendish didn’t have the lead-out which Kittel enjoyed inside the final km. Being too far back in the bunch, Cavendish was unable to outsprint the German sprinter who was perfectly launched.

After the ceremony on the podium Cavendish expressed his disillusionment to the press.

“I came from 20 [positions] back with 200 [metres] to go. That's it. It's too far back,” Cavendish told Belgian sports daily Sporza in an evaluation of his sprint to the finish. Asked if he lacked support in the finale, Cavendish said, “I guess so, in the final, yeah. The consequences of today's sprint? I don't know. We rode so well. The whole day we ride so well until the last two kilometres. I don't know.”

After returning from the podium, Cavendish acknowledged the work his team had done leading into the hectic closing kilometres. "The guys were brilliant the whole day but once again I was left alone in the final. On another day it could've worked out but today it didn't. I was coming, coming, coming... I went to go with maybe 250 to go but [Romain] Feillu was just coming around so actually it was 50 metres more to start. I just ran out of time. Was I too far? I'll have to look at the video to judge on that. It can happen that if you come from the top-five that you come from too far."

Cavendish also heaped praise on the now two-time defending Scheldeprijs winner Marcel Kittel. "It's Marcel Kittel who won so it's not like it's not one of the best guys in the world. So I can't be too disappointed about that."