Tour de France 2013: Mark Cavendish and Riders Who Must Rebound at Stage 13

To say Mark Cavendish had a rough day is an understatement.

Not only did he get nipped at the line by Marcel Kittel during Stage 12 of the Tour de France, but he was also trying to shake off the emotional effects of being "doused with urine" by a spectator on Tuesday, per Campbell Abbott of the New York Daily News.

Cavendish is 149th in the official standings, 1:44:09 behind leader Christopher Froome heading into Stage 13. It is clear Cavendish needs to bounce back and perform well if he hopes to climb in the standings. 

Stage 13 is a sprinter's stage, and with that being Cavendish's specialty, it should help his cause. The time is now for him to make a move.

Cavendish must race with urgency, but he is not alone. Here's a look at a few other riders who need to crank it up to catch the leaders. 

Cadel Evans

The 2011 winner is 14th in the standings, 6:54 behind Froome, but he doesn't appear to be gaining momentum. He was just 20th in the standings for Stage 12, while Froome was 14th.

When he won the event in 2011, Evans was third in the standings during the 12th stage. He's now 36 years old and time isn't on his side in the event or as a rider.

If he's going to be a serious contender for the overall win—or even a podium spot—he needs to make a move soon. His outlook for Stage 13 isn't as bright as Cavendish's considering Evans' background is as a mountain biker.

That said, he does possess a wealth of experience. The question is can he produce an unexpected solid performance in a stage that is separate from his specialty.

Andrew Talansky

America's best hope to attain a podium spot lies with 24-year-old Andrew Talansky. After Stage 12, he is 24th in the overall standings. He was 23rd in the Stage 12 run. That was an 11-spot decline from his performance in Stage 11.

Talansky is just a rookie, but if he plans to make the 2013 Tour de France more memorable, he needs to start putting together better finishes in the coming stages.

Fortunately, the American is a versatile racer who can both climb and sprint, as Linda Robertson of the Miami Herald discussed in June, so he has a good chance to impress at Stage 13.

He displayed some sprinting chops earlier this year at the Paris-Nice 2013, and he'll need to call on those skills again to bounce back.

Peter Sagan

Sagan raced well on Wednesday, but after winning the points classification in 2012, he has to have high hopes for this year's event. Through 12 stages, he is just 68th in standings. 

Last year, he captured three stages en route to his strong showing. So far this year, he has only won the seventh stage.

He has, however, finished in the top three six times, including Thursday's third-place performance. At 23 years old, Sagan should still have the stamina to make a run in the final nine stages. Sprint stages aren't his forte, but he has so much overall ability that it is hard to rule him out.

Don't be shocked if he comes up bigger than expected at Stage 13.

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