FOURING SUCCESS

Hero Cav nabs another win as fuming German rival cries foul

Mark Cavendish is closing in on Eddie Merckx’s all- time record of 34 Tour stage triumphs – and leaving angry Germans fuming in his wake.

The Manx missi le torpedoed rival Marcel Kittel yesterday as he claimed his fourth win this year and 30th overall. In the final dash for the line in Villars- lesDombes, Cavendish burst from behind the big German to sprint over the line. Kittel believed Cav had cut him off in the f inal metres of the 130- mile race and he could be seen waving an arm in anger as the Manxman crossed the line ahead of Norwegian Alexander Kr i s t o f f and world c h amp Peter

Tim Hamer

Sagan in third. Cavendish declared he’d no idea there had been a problem and had to wait until video footage was viewed before his win was confirmed by race chiefs.

The Dimension Data rider said: “Obviously I didn’t see it because I was in front.

“I haven’t spoken to Kittel. He hit me on the back after but I thought he was saying well done.”

Kittel, who finished fifth behind fellow German John Degenkolb, was fuming.

The German said: “I was on the inside, really well positioned, then just before the line he moved to the right, touched my shoulder and I had to brake.

“The decision of the jury wasn’t correct.”

Cavendish had been expected to pull out of the Tour to rest before his bid for Rio gold but his eyes are on stage wins tomorrow and the