RAVENNA (Italy), May 19: Britain’s Mark Cavendish snapped up a second sprint stage win in the Giro d’Italia (Tour of Italy) on Thursday before confirming that he is pulling out of the race. The HTC-Highroad rider avoided a late crash in the bunch to outpower a group of around 15 riders and seal his second victory in three days.

Davide Apollonio and Alessandro Petacchi, both of Italy, finished second and third.

With the race tackling the first of three stages in the Dolomites mountain range on Friday, Cavendish confirmed at the finish line in Ravenna that he would be quitting after Thursday’s win.

“We’re professionals, not amateurs,” the Briton told reporters. “And there aren’t any more sprint stages in this year’s race. Now I want to get some rest and get ready for the Tour de France.

“I’ll also be celebrating my birthday (on May 21) with my family for the first time in eight years.”—Reuters