Sir Mark Cavendish yesterday made history by breaking the record for Tour de France stage wins.
His 35th stage victory in Saint-Vulbas took him beyond the great Eddy Merckx, who held the record for decades before Cavendish matched him on 34 in 2021.
It means 39-year-old Cavendish becomes the greatest Tour de France sprinter of all time, 16 years after his first stage victory, on the eve of his retirement and comes after he was forced to retire from last year’s race due to injury.
Cavendish disbelief
Cavendish said: “I’m in a little bit of disbelief. Astana put a big gamble on this year to make sure we’re good here at the Tour, my boss has done it.
“It’s a big gamble to come here to try to win at least one stage, a big gamble for my boss Alexander Vinokourov, a big thing to do, it shows he’s an ex-bike rider, somebody who knows what the Tour de France is.
“You have to go all-in and we’ve done it and worked it exactly how we wanted to do, how we built the team, the equipment, every little detail has been put towards today.”
His Astana-Qazaqstan team, who have been branding the plan to get Cavendish a 35th stage “Project 35”, were in control for much of the latter stages of the 177km stage, which began in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.
Passion
Great Britain Cycling Team Performance Director, Stephen Park CBE, said: “On behalf of British Cycling I would like to congratulate Sir Mark on a truly outstanding achievement. It goes without saying that Mark is one of the greatest British riders of all time, and to cap off his final season of racing with another victory at the sport’s biggest race is a fitting final chapter in a glittering career.
“Mark’s long and storied career, his passion for the sport and his tenacious pursuit for excellence make him a real inspiration for the next generation of bike riders looking to follow in his footsteps. He is one of our country’s truly great sportsmen and sporting personalities, and it has been a privilege to have watched him reign supreme for all these years.”
Cavendish’s wife and children were present.