Mark Cavendish breaks Tour de France record for stage wins

Mark Cavendish has broken the record for Tour de France stage wins.

The British cyclist secured the historic milestone after triumphing in Saint-Vulbas, eastern France, to win the 35th stage of his career.

Cavendish, from the Isle of Man, had been level with Belgian great Eddy Merckx on 34 victories.

“I’m in a bit of disbelief,” the 39-year-old Astana-Qazaqstan rider said shortly after the win.

“Astana put a big a gamble on this year, to make sure we got here, the Tour de France.

“A big gamble to come here and come and win at least one stage, you know?

“You have to go all in and, yeah, we’ve done it.”

His teammate and lead-out rider Cees Bol simply said: “He f****** nailed it.”

It comes after bitter disappointment for Cavendish when he crashed out of last year’s Tour – which he had said would be his last – and breaking his collar bone.

The rider won his first Tour stages in 2008, taking four that year, and would be up to 20 by 2011.

He enjoyed four stage victories in 2021, equalling Merckx’s record with his victory on stage 13 in Carcassonne.

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