Wiggins and Cavendish enjoy one last golden gig

By Martyn Herman LONDON (Reuters) - Back together again, British duo Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish proved the long wait had been worthwhile as they reunited in a blaze of glory to win Madison gold at the world track championships on Sunday. Eight years after falling out briefly at the Beijing Olympics following a flop in the 200-lap relay event that requires tactics as well as brute speed, they brought the savvy of years in road pelotons to bear to claim an unforgettable win. Despite accumulating points in the early sprints, they still trailed world champions France, Switzerland and Colombia by a lap after 168 laps when Wiggins launched a blistering attack that Cavendish continued, with a little help from Spain. Legs pumping, eyes bulging the British duo clawed the lap back and when Cavendish made contact with the pack ear-splitting roars rocked the velodrome. Cavendish crashed heavily near the end, quickly re-mounting, but the masterful Wiggins had it all under control and their second Madison title together was in the bag. They won their first in 2008, after which both switched focus to the road with spectacular results -- Wiggins going on to become Tour de France champion and Manx Missile Cavendish accumulating 26 stage wins in cycling's blue-riband event. "To send everyone home happy. It's like when the Stone Roses played at Heaton Park in 2012, it was a good gig and everyone went home happy. It's like us two getting back together again," Wiggins, who said earlier in the week the Madison would just be a bit of fun, told reporters. "A month after (winning the Madison in 2008) he (Cavendish) won his Giro stage. We've conquered the world in those eight years. It's like Barack Obama, over eight years, we've had a good turn, come back, full circle and won it again." Wiggins, who now has seven world track titles dating back to 2003, was so fixated with gold he did not even know Cavendish had fallen off his bike. "I didn't know he'd fallen off, I kept looking and thinking 'where is he? This has been a long turn',"Wiggins said. "I thought he needed a lap out because he'd tried so hard on the lap but I didn't realise he'd crashed and I was out of it by then, just foaming at the mouth the last 10 laps." Cavendish, whose hopes of being picked for the British track team hang in the balance after missing the podium on Saturday (the Madison has not been an Olympic event since 2008) embraced his frontman as they rolled around a lap of honour. "It could be my last one (track world championships) so it's just perfect to go out like this with Brad," Cavendish, who also won the Madison with Ron Hayles in 2005, said. "Brad and I compliment each other so well." His only regret was the crash that left him dizzy and bruised and meant Wiggins got to see the victory home. (Reporting by Martyn Herman; editing by Toby Davis)