The ‘Manx Missile’ has broken the 49-year record
Mark Cavendish has taken the record for the most outright stage wins at the Tour de France, beating the 34 stages won by Eddy Merckx.
In a remarkable achievement for the now 39-year old cycling legend, Cavendish made history in winning today’s stage.
Cavendish, nicknamed the ‘Manx Missile’, beat the pack to the line with a powerful sprint in Saint Vulbas.
It is expected to be the sprinter’s last Tour de France.
Cavendish has had to battle illness, injury and crashes to make it to 35 stage wins and was unfortunate to miss out on Monday after the peloton was shredded by a crash.
The cyclist from the Isle of Man had to fend of stiff competition from a speedy pack of riders, beating Jasper Philipsen and Biniam Girmay to the win.
After his win he told ITV: “You sprint and go as hard as you can until you get to the finish and maybe your life changes if you cross that line first, maybe it doesn’t if you don’t. That is the nature of this race and what makes it so beautiful.”
Cavendish’s story is one of true resilience and determination to come back from terrible crashes, injury and illnesses such as Epstein-Barr virus.
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In 2021 he won his 34th stage, equalling the record for most stage wins on par with legendary Belgian cyclist and five-time Tour de France winner Eddy Merckx.
Cavendish then struggled for two years, not featuring in 2022 due to not being selected by his team, while he was forced to abandon in 2023 due to a shoulder injury acquired in an unassuming crash at the rear of the peloton.
Many were uncertain if the ‘Manx Missile’ would break the record after he struggled over the mountains on stage one, throwing up while on his bike.
However, Cavendish powered through and reaped the rewards on the 177km, flat stage five from Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne to Saint-Vulbas in the south-east of France.
Receiving a knighthood last month to become Sir Mark Cavendish, the cyclist has enjoyed a career laden with medals and race wins and is considered one of the greatest cyclist of all time.
Along with his 35 Tour de France stage wins, he has won 17 Giro d’Italia stages, three Vuelta a España stages, a silver Olympic medal as well as multiple world championship titles in various events.
Sir Mark Cavendish will have the opportunity to extend his record to 36 stage wins tomorrow on stage six from Macon to Dijon on another flat stage distancing 163.5km.
