Cycling Plus

Mark Cavendish’s comeback for the ages at the Tour de France in pictures, the devastatin­g truth about the alleged “golden age of cycling” and three high-quality routes in Hexham, Northumber­land

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Brit Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck- QuickStep) celebrates winning a stage of the Tour de France in Châteaurou­x with his hands on his head, just as he’d done here back in 2008 for his very first win. The intervenin­g years have seen huge highs and latterly crushing lows, which makes sure Cav’s four victories in 2021 (ensuring he equalled Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 Tour stage wins) will rank among the great comebacks in sporting history.

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?? ?? Tadej Poga ar (UAE Team Emirates) glances at his closest rivals Jonas Vingegaard (Team Jumbo-Visma) and Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) at a shot that captures how the Slovenian dominated the yellow jersey battle in 2021. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) produced a tactical and physical masterclas­s on stage 2 to Mûr-deBretagne, which put the Dutch star in the yellow jersey for a week. On the line he pointed to the sky in memory of his grandad, Raymond Poulidor, a Tour de France legend. The peloton approaches the summit of Mont Ventoux in Provence during the first of two ascents on stage 11. Poga ar had a minor wobble from which he ultimately recovered, but the star of the stage was Belgian Wout van Aert (Team JumboVisma), who won solo from the break.
Tadej Poga ar (UAE Team Emirates) glances at his closest rivals Jonas Vingegaard (Team Jumbo-Visma) and Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) at a shot that captures how the Slovenian dominated the yellow jersey battle in 2021. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) produced a tactical and physical masterclas­s on stage 2 to Mûr-deBretagne, which put the Dutch star in the yellow jersey for a week. On the line he pointed to the sky in memory of his grandad, Raymond Poulidor, a Tour de France legend. The peloton approaches the summit of Mont Ventoux in Provence during the first of two ascents on stage 11. Poga ar had a minor wobble from which he ultimately recovered, but the star of the stage was Belgian Wout van Aert (Team JumboVisma), who won solo from the break.
?? ?? Poga ar went into the stage 19 time trial with a lead of almost six minutes and such was his dominance he could perhaps have ridden a unicycle to victory. Given the major threats to his title were neutralise­d in the first week, his win looked a foregone conclusion from a long way out. By the end, it was hard to see anything other than the birth of a Poga ar Tour de France dynasty. Master of all trades, jack of none, van Aert took his third win of the race with a sprint on the ChampsÉlys­ées, one that denied Cavendish the Tour stage record. Van Aert’s success sat alongside his win in the flat, stage 20 time trial and the mountainou­s Ventoux stage a week earlier – a set of allround results that’s not been seen for generation­s.
Poga ar went into the stage 19 time trial with a lead of almost six minutes and such was his dominance he could perhaps have ridden a unicycle to victory. Given the major threats to his title were neutralise­d in the first week, his win looked a foregone conclusion from a long way out. By the end, it was hard to see anything other than the birth of a Poga ar Tour de France dynasty. Master of all trades, jack of none, van Aert took his third win of the race with a sprint on the ChampsÉlys­ées, one that denied Cavendish the Tour stage record. Van Aert’s success sat alongside his win in the flat, stage 20 time trial and the mountainou­s Ventoux stage a week earlier – a set of allround results that’s not been seen for generation­s.

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