Cavendish ties Merckx’s record for stage wins
>>CARCASSONNE: Mark Cavendish equalled the all-time tally of Tour de France stage wins when he sped over the finish line at Carcassonne on Friday for a landmark 34th victory in the race.
It was Cavendish’s fourth win on the 2021 edition and sees the British sprinter equal Eddy Merckx’s 46-yearold record.
The medieval Carcassonne citadel proved the perfect backdrop for Cavendish, who is guaranteed a rapturous reception on the Champs Elysees in Paris when the Tour winds up on July 18.
Cavendish had until Friday steadfastly refused to hype the record due to his reverence for the great Belgian Merckx, who also won the Tour de France five times.
“It’s just another win on the Tour de France,” said the Briton who has two more flat stages in which to actually beat the record.
“I can’t be compared to him. Eddy Merckx’s is the greatest rider of all time, and he will remain so. My wins have all been in sprints.”
“But if any one of my wins can inspire kids growing up, that’s what I most want,” said the Deceuninck rider who was led toward the line by a powerful lead out from his teammates.
Cavendish appeared to shoulder charge a fellow rider on the run in and mentioned it at the line.
“I have a problem because I have narrow shoulders and if I lean into someone it looks like I’m head-butting, the commissaires came to speak to me about it on the first sprint [of the race],” he explained.
Defending champion Tadej Pogacar retained the yellow jersey on Friday, and had a wide margin of five minutes to defend.
“I felt good on the day,” said the Slovenian.
“I watched him [Cavendish] as a kid, sprinting like Rocketman, all respect to him.” AFP