SPRINGFIELD — Cycling fans in the Midwest have a crush on Team Columbia's Mark Cavendish, and not just because he won a second successive stage of the Tour of Missouri.

Cavendish crossed the line Tuesday in 4 hours 53 minutes 19 seconds, more than a bike length ahead of Eric Baumann of the German team Sparkasse and Francesco Chicchi of Liquigas.

The crowd went wild, as it did at Monday's finish. And so, he has spent more time signing autographs and smiling than any other rider.

"He's got that impish charm," said team owner Bob Stapleton. "He's like everybody's little brother."

Though Cavendish seemed surprised by the attention, teammate George Hincapie wasn't. Hincapie learned about Missouri cycling fans last year, when he won the overall title.

"He's the best sprinter in the world right now," Hincapie said. "What they see is his enthusiasm and they respond to it."

Cavendish also won four stages at the Tour de France, two at the Giro d'Italia and three at the Tour of Ireland. He feels the pressure of riding for a strong team that works to set him up.

"When I mess up, it eats me up a lot inside," he said.

Cavendish could do no wrong in France with his four victories, a feat, he said, "beyond my expectations. I set a goal to win one, maybe two stages. But after the second, I realized how strong the team was and that anything was possible. Four was phenomenal."

He left the Tour de France early to focus on the Olympics, a decision he now regrets. He and partner Bradley Wiggins had won the world championships in the Madison event in February, but they wound up eighth in Beijing. Cavendish left the Beijing Games as the only member of the British men's track cycling team without a medal.

Though just 23, Cavendish already has spoiled the British fans and media, who expect a victory every time he rides. Thus, fans back home were outraged to learn Cavendish would race here, rather than the concurrent Tour of Britain. Cavendish was just as peeved that he was expected to race in Britain.

"I'm not employed by the Tour of Britain organizers," he said. "I race for an American team, so I should be here."

As if the Olympic disappointment and homeland angst weren't enough, Cavendish had more reason to win here. Until Monday, he had never won on American soil. He used the same formula to win Tuesday, riding behind teammates who formed a breakaway of five riders about 10 miles from the finish.

Springfield native Brad Huff likened the chaos of trying to latch on to Cavendish and Columbia to the agitation of a washing machine.

"The sprinters use most of their sprint to get to the Columbia train, then just hope to catch Cavs' wheel and hang on," said Huff, who finished sixth in his hometown.

Cavendish holds a slim 12-second lead over Chicchi. Today's stage is an uphill time trial, which requires a sustained solo effort, rather than his trademark burst of power after a sustained team effort. On his team alone, several riders could beat him by two or three minutes, including Hincapie and Michael Rogers, the three-time world champion.