Cavendish closing in on Merckx’s record

MARK Cavendish sprinted to his 33rd stage victory at the Tour de France to move within one win of Belgian legend Eddy Merckx’s all-time record.

The Manx rider, 36, held off Wout van Aert and Jasper Philipsen to win stage 10 in Valence after a perfect lead-out. There are two more sprints this week and two more in the last week, ending with the Champs-Elysees finale, where Cavendish has won a record four times.

Defending champion Tadej Pogacar finished safely in the main bunch to retain the leader’s yellow jersey.